A Harris Poll for Cancer and Careers recently found that 61% of respondents’ fear of disclosing their cancer diagnosis would lessen their chances of getting hired.
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Also, according to a new study by researchers at Rice University and Penn State, job applicants who are cancer survivors are less likely to receive callbacks from potential retail employers than those who did not disclose their health history. The study also found examples of rather subtle discrimination towards applicants who identify as having an illness.
The study, Selection BIAS: Stereotypes and Discrimination Related to Having a History of Cancer, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology by the American Psychological Association, focused on retail employers and compared two groups of job applicants: applicants who ostensibly never had cancer and applicants who indicated on their résumés they were cancer survivors and wore a hat that read “cancer survivor” when applying for a job.