Turns out, having a tattoo can give job candidates an advantage in competitive labor markets.
According to a new study by the faculty at University of Miami Business School and the University of Western Australia, discriminating against workers with tattoos puts hiring managers at a competitive disadvantage.
The study provides a much-needed update to a research that showed the contrary, especially given how prevalent tattoos are today.
The study authors, who began collecting data during the summer of 2016, found that the perception of tattoos in workplaces has changed so much that even a visible tattoo is not linked to individual employment, wages, or earning discrimination.
Specifically, the study found wages and annual earnings of tattooed employees were statistically indistinguishable from those without them. In the hiring market, tattooed job seekers are also just as likely, and in some instances even more likely, to gain employment.
Lead author, Michael French, said, "Hiring managers who continue to discriminate against job candidates with tattoos may be settling for a less-qualified pool of applicants."
"The long-held stigmas associated with having tattoos, and particularly visible ones, may be eroding, especially among younger individuals who view body art as a natural and common form of personal expression," he added.
Previous research had found that hiring managers widely perceived tattooed people as less employable than people without tattoos. This was especially the case for those with visible or even offensive tattoos that are difficult to conceal at work.
The full findings are present in the journal- Human Relations.
