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Westerpark wants anonymous job application pilot

29 June 2007 - The Westerpark District will probably start an anonymous job application pilot this fall. The administration will issue a positive preliminary advice on a motion presented by GroenLinks, which will be put to a vote next Tuesday.

The motion was presented by Rutger Groot Wassink (photo). “The government should set an example when it regards diversity management. It is not yet doing as well as it should”.

Alderman Dirk de Jager (also GroenLinks) acknowledges this. Ethnic minorities make up 40 to 45% of Westerpark residents, but only 15 to 16% of district employees.

If the council adopts the plan next Tuesday, a pilot could start after the summer recess. The pilot will have a duration of six months and then be evaluated.

Some departments will be kept unaware of applicants’ name and country and city of birth. It can then be ascertained whether these departments hire more ethnic minority staff than other departments, where applications are handled in the usual way.

If the pilot proves successful, anonymous job applications may be introduced on a structural basis, De Jager said. A similar pilot in Nijmegen has yielded positive results.

Westerpark is governed by a PvdA-GroenLinks coalition. Nationally, the PvdA has doubts about the instrument, but that did not play a role in the Westerpark administration. De Jager: “In fact, it did not take us long to reach a decision”. The Westerpark PvdA council members will take a position on the motion next Monday.

De Jager says the district already has a fairly strong diversity policy. Attention is given both to hiring practices and to creating an organisational culture that makes people feel at home.

In an opinion article at News from Amsterdam, Groot Wassink has argued that the municipality should also introduce anonymous job applications. If the council adopts his motion next Tuesday, he will encourage his colleagues in other districts to adopt similar measures.

See also: Amsterdam should introduce anonymous job applications

 

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