Survey: 1 in 5 Left-Leaning Bosses ‘Will Not Hire’ Trump Supporters

A survey finds one in five left-leaning bosses “will not hire” job candidates who are supporters of President Donald Trump.

In addition, significant majorities of bosses want to know prospective employees’ views on racial equality, gender equality, LGBTQ rights, and immigration.

Results of the survey, conducted by Airtasker, were obtained by Paul Bedard at the Washington Examiner and were based on a survey of 204 people whose job description includes hiring and 805 employees.

Airtasker noted employers typically review job candidates’ social media accounts to glean information about their political views prior to interviews.

“Workplace discrimination is a real and pressing issue, and candidates get their applications sidelined or overlooked due to these factors all the time,” Airtasker observed, according to the Examiner. “And even when they do make it past the hiring filter, employees can also be the victims of prejudice and biased behavior when interacting with their bosses and colleagues.”

Asked if they would hire a job candidate who expresses views that are supportive of the president, 20 percent of left-leaning bosses responded, “No,” while 24 percent responded, “Yes,” and 56 percent said, “It doesn’t matter who they support.”

Among right-leaning bosses, 9 percent said they would not hire a candidate who expressed views supportive of Trump, while 57 percent responded, “Yes,” and 35 percent said the candidate’s views on Trump did not matter:

According to the survey results, significant consequences may exist in the workplace for employees who speak positively about Trump.

Regarding behaviors witnessed by fellow employees toward Trump supporters, 28 percent of coworkers said they have seen Trump supporters serving as the target of jokes; 23 percent said bosses were “overly critical” of the president’s supporters; 23 percent said others made assumptions about the character of Trump supporters; 21 percent said others were “dismissive” of Trump supporters; 14 percent said they witnessed the president’s supporters being the victims of gossip or rumors; 13 percent said Trump supporters were excluded from social situations; and 11 percent said they witnessed Trump supporters being victims of “name-calling.”

Behind the actual assessment of a job candidate’s skills, 65 percent of those with hiring responsibilities said it is “important to know a job candidate’s stance” on racial equity; 59 percent said the candidate’s views on gender equality is important, while 54 percent said his or her views on LGBTQ rights is important.

Regarding immigration and politics in general, 38 percent and 32 percent of bosses, respectively, said it is important to know the candidate’s positions on these issues.

Among the bosses surveyed, 29 percent would not hire a candidate based on his or her views on racial equality; 27 percent would not hire over a position on gender equality; 22 percent would not hire someone over views on LGBTQ rights; 18 percent would not hire based upon politics in general; and 16 percent would not hire a candidate over views on immigration.