Important Information

To improve employment outcomes, many states are prohibiting employers from inquiring about the criminal histories of job applicants prior to job offers. While well intended, the unintended consequence of this is that the probability of being employed fell 5.1% for young low-skilled African-American men and by 2.6% for similar Hispanic men. More information is better when it comes to helping minorities. Lacking information, it seems employers employ simple population stereotypes.