AI Screens of Pandemic Job Seekers Could Lead to Bias Claims (1)

Companies are making more use of algorithmic hiring tools to screen a flood of job applicants during the coronavirus pandemic amid questions about whether they introduce new forms of bias into the early vetting process. The tools are designed to more efficiently filter out candidates that don't meet certain job-related criteria, like prior work experience, and to recruit potential hires via their online profiles. Businesses like HireVue offer biometric scanning tools that give applicant feedback based on facial expressions, while others like Pymetrics use behavioral tests to home in on ideal candidates. Companies including Colgate-Palmolive Co., McDonald's Corp., Boston Consulting Group Inc., PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and Kraft Heinz Co. are using them at a time when 21 million people in the U.S. were without jobs and seeking employment in May, according to the Labor Department. Job candidates might be unable or unwilling to apply and interview in person because of rules limiting social gatherings, said Monica Snyder, a workplace privacy attorney at Fisher Phillips in Boston.