Recruitment difficulties in the restaurant industry? A field experiment on discrimination in access to apprenticeships in Paris

Access to apprenticeships remains one of the least explored areas in field experiments on ethnic discrimination. We examine the restaurant sector in Paris, a field notoriously affected by severe recruitment challenges. Our correspondence test targets female students who are seeking apprenticeships as waitresses. Our results reveal both highly selective recruitment practices and significant ethnic penalties. The relative gap in callback rates reaches 43%, one of the highest levels recorded in such studies. These findings raise critical questions about the effectiveness of policies aimed at promoting equal opportunity in educational pathways.