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Newsweek
15-07-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
AI Hiring Favors Women Over Equally Qualified Men, Study Finds
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. As artificial intelligence takes on a bigger role in corporate hiring — with many companies touting its impartiality — one researcher's findings suggest the technology may be more biased than humans, and is alread favoring women over equally qualified men. David Rozado, an associate professor at the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology and a well-known AI researcher, tested 22 large language models (LLMs)—including popular, consumer-facing apps like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok—using pairs of identical résumés that differed only by gendered names. His findings revealed that every single LLM was more likely to select the female-named candidate over the equally qualified male candidate. "This pattern may reflect complex interactions between model pre-training corpora, annotation processes during preference tuning, or even system-level guardrails for production deployments," Rozado told Newsweek. "But the exact source of the behavior is currently unclear." A Problem With Men? Rozado's findings reveal not just that AI models tend to favor women for jobs over men, but also how nuanced and pervasive those biases can be. Across more than 30,000 simulated hiring decisions, female-named candidates were chosen 56.9 percent of the time — a statistically significant deviation from gender neutrality, which would have resulted in a 50–50 split. When an explicit gender field was added to a CV — a practice common in countries like Germany and Japan — the preference for women became even stronger. Rozado warned that although the disparities were relatively modest, they could accumulate over time and unfairly disadvantage male candidates. "These tendencies persisted regardless of model size or the amount of compute leveraged," Rozado noted. "This strongly suggests that model bias in the context of hiring decisions is not determined by the size of the model or the amount of 'reasoning' employed. The problem is systemic." The models also exhibited other quirks. Many showed a slight preference for candidates who included preferred pronouns. Adding terms such as "she/her" or "he/him" to a CV slightly increased a candidate's chances of being selected. "My experimental design ensured that candidate qualifications were distributed equally across genders, so ideally, there would be no systematic difference in selection rates. However, the results indicate that LLMs may sometimes make hiring decisions based on factors unrelated to candidate qualifications, such as gender or the position of the candidates in the prompt," he said. Rozado, who is also a regular collaborator with the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, emphasized that the biggest takeaway is that LLMs, like human decision-makers, can sometimes rely on irrelevant features when the task is overdetermined and/or underdetermined. "Over many decisions, even small disparities can accumulate and impact the overall fairness of a process," he said. However, Rozado also acknowledged a key limitation of his study: it used synthetic CVs and job descriptions rather than real-world applications, which may not fully capture the complexity and nuance of authentic résumés. Additionally, because all CVs were closely matched in qualifications to isolate gender effects, the findings may not reflect how AI behaves when candidates' skills vary more widely. "It is important to interpret these results carefully. The intention is not to overstate the magnitude of harm, but rather to highlight the need for careful evaluation and mitigation of any bias in automated decision tools," Rozado added. AI Is Already Reshaping the Hiring Process Even as researchers debate the biases in AI systems, many employers have already embraced the technology to streamline hiring. A New York Times report this month described how AI-powered interviewer bots now speak directly with candidates, asking questions and even simulating human pauses and filler words. Jennifer Dunn, a marketing professional in San Antonio, said her AI interview with a chatbot named Alex "felt hollow" and she ended it early. "It isn't something that feels real to me," she told the Times. Another applicant, Emily Robertson-Yeingst, wondered if her AI interview was just being used to train the underlying LLM: "It starts to make you wonder, was I just some sort of experiment?" Job seekers attends the South Florida Job Fair held at the Amerant Bank Arena on June 26, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida. More than 50 companies set up booths to recruit people from entry-level to... Job seekers attends the South Florida Job Fair held at the Amerant Bank Arena on June 26, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida. More than 50 companies set up booths to recruit people from entry-level to management. Open jobs include police officers, food service, security, sales reps, technicians, customer service, IT, teacher assistants, insurance agents, and account executives. More Photo byStill, some organizations defend the use of AI recruiters as both efficient and scalable, especially in a world where the ease of online job-searching means open positions often field hundreds if not thousands of applicants. Propel Impact told the Times their AI interviews enabled them to screen 500 applicants this year — more than triple what they managed previously. Rozado, however, warned that the very features companies find appealing — speed and efficiency — can mask underlying vulnerabilities. "Over many decisions, even small disparities can accumulate and impact the overall fairness of a process," he said. "Similarly, the finding that being listed first in the prompt increases the likelihood of selection underscores the importance of not trusting AI blindly." More Research Needed Not all research points to the same gender dynamic Rozado identified. A Brookings Institution study this year found that, in some tests, men were actually favored over women in 51.9 percent of cases, while racial bias strongly favored white-associated names over Black-associated names. Brookings' analysis stressed that intersectional identities, such as being both Black and male, often led to the greatest disadvantages. Rozado and the Brookings team agree, however, that AI hiring systems are not ready to operate autonomously in high-stakes situations. Both recommend robust audits, transparency, and clear regulatory standards to minimize unintended discrimination. "Given current evidence of bias and unpredictability, I believe LLMs should not be used in high-stakes contexts like hiring, unless their outputs have been rigorously evaluated for fairness and reliability," Rozado said. "It is essential that organizations validate and audit AI tools carefully, particularly for applications with significant real-world impact."
Scoop
26-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Te Pūkenga 2024 Annual Report Shows $122 Million Turnaround In Two Years
Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology (NZIST) has released its 2024 Annual Report, showing a $122 million turnaround within the two years it has existed as a single entity, and the first surplus for the organisation. The report shows a surplus of $16.6 million at the end of 2024, a $54.5 million (144%) improvement on the 2023 deficit of $37.9 million, and a $121.7 million (116%) improvement on the 2022 deficit of $105 million. Revenue has grown $68.4 million (5%) compared to 2023, and $188 million (15%) compared to 2022. Te Pūkenga Chief Executive Gus Gilmore acknowledged the hard work of staff (kaimahi) in achieving the results amid a tough economic climate as well as uncertainty for the institute. "Against a background of immense change and uncertainty, Te Pūkenga had a strong year. With 226,645 learners, including 90,919 trainees and apprentices, outcomes continued to improve, with course completion, including 10,828 trainees and apprentices completing their programmes and 45,146 graduating. We also had strong domestic and international enrolments for our Institutes of Technology and Polytechnic (ITP) divisions and increased our net promoter score. "The financial result, showing a 144% improvement on the previous year, is the outcome of focusing on addressing financial performance through an intensive cost savings exercise across all divisions, structural changes, vacancy management, lease reduction, property sales and programme rationalisation," said Mr Gilmore. Ākonga satisfaction increased to over 93% following a strong focus on improving learner support. For example, a partnership with Health New Zealand, with an investment of $4.1 million, saw more than 12,500 learners access mental health services - a 71% increase from 2023. Course completion rates across all priority groups - Māori, Pasifika and disabled learners - also showed an increase in 2024. Te Pūkenga also developed major commercial partnerships with national employers and international partners. Amongst the highlights are a successful partnership with Apple, which included the development of the Hangarau Matihiko (digital technology) micro-credential, training for 50 teachers in 12 Te Tai Tokerau schools, and more than 2,200 ākonga supported in strengthening their digital skills. A memorandum of arrangement was signed with the Centre for International People-to-People Exchange (CCIPE) from China to establish the New Zealand - China Vocational Cooperation and Development Alliance. It seeks to promote vocational education in both countries through talent cultivation, cross credits, student exchanges, and academic visits. Te Pūkenga also achieved many successful work-based training initiatives including the Connexis-run Girls with Hi-Vis (GWHV), seeking more women apprentices which last year co-hosted 36 events with employers, attracting more than 650 students from 98 schools. It was also the second year that events were co-hosted with BCITO for industry experience days onsite with companies in the civil infrastructure, electrical supply, water industries, building and construction sectors, and at some of the country's major infrastructure projects. Plumbing, Gasfitting, and Drainlaying (PGD) programmes were updated by EarnLearn to better align with industry demands and improve outcomes for employers and learners. Meanwhile Primary ITO achieved a 96% completion rate in its programme to develop a skilled and qualified workforce for Whakatōhea Mussels new farm and processing facility in Ōpōtiki with many of the learners securing full-time jobs afterwards. Research revenue exceeded expectations by 38% - $12.02 million compared to the target of $8.73 million, demonstrating the continued strength of rangahau and research within Te Pūkenga. The 2024 ITP Rangahau and Research Symposium, the largest and most diverse research event delivered by Te Pūkenga, attracted more than 275 submissions, representing the work of over 500 kairangahau (researchers) across diverse areas of rangahau and research, including Pacific research. "Looking back on the year 2024, our kaimahi can be very proud of the outcomes achieved for our learners and employers, and a good financial result for the sector during a time of significant change. We thank kaimahi for their continued commitment and manaakitanga even as they have faced uncertainty about their own futures." Year-to-date 2025 results show good growth on domestic and international enrolments for ITP divisions, while work-based learning divisions have seen an expected softening because of current market conditions. "There are still some hard decisions that need to be made this year to support the financial viability of individual divisions for their transition into new entities. "As we prepare for disestablishment, our focus remains on ensuring learners, employers, and kaimahi are well supported while we continue to deliver quality vocational education and training," says Mr Gilmore. You can read the report here: 2024 Annual Report: In summary, in 2024 Te Pūkenga network had:
Scoop
21-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Have Your Say On The Education And Training (Vocational Education And Training System) Amendment Bill
Press Release – The Education and Workforce Committee The bill seeks to redesign the vocational education and training system to restore regional decision-making. It also aims to increase industry involvement in vocational education and training. The Education and Workforce Committee is calling for submissions on the Education and Training (Vocational Education and Training System) Amendment Bill with a closing date of 11:59pm on 18 June 2025. The bill seeks to redesign the vocational education and training system to restore regional decision-making. It also aims to increase industry involvement in vocational education and training. The bill would do so by amending the Education and Training Act 2020 to: • disestablish Te Pūkenga—New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology (Te Pūkenga) • re-establish a network of regional polytechnics • establish industry skills boards to replace workforce development councils. The bill would propose a framework within which new polytechnics and a Polytechnic Federation Committee can be established, as well as framework to establish industry skills boards. The frameworks would set out the characteristics and functions of the new entities, the process for their establishment and disestablishment, and the technical elements necessary for them to function. The bill would also enable Te Pūkenga to remain as a transitional entity for unallocated programmes and activities for a 1-year period after commencement. Make a submission on the bill by 11:59pm on Wednesday, 18 June 2025.
Scoop
21-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Have Your Say On The Education And Training (Vocational Education And Training System) Amendment Bill
The Education and Workforce Committee is calling for submissions on the Education and Training (Vocational Education and Training System) Amendment Bill with a closing date of 11:59pm on 18 June 2025. The bill seeks to redesign the vocational education and training system to restore regional decision-making. It also aims to increase industry involvement in vocational education and training. The bill would do so by amending the Education and Training Act 2020 to: • disestablish Te Pūkenga—New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology (Te Pūkenga) • re-establish a network of regional polytechnics • establish industry skills boards to replace workforce development councils. The bill would propose a framework within which new polytechnics and a Polytechnic Federation Committee can be established, as well as framework to establish industry skills boards. The frameworks would set out the characteristics and functions of the new entities, the process for their establishment and disestablishment, and the technical elements necessary for them to function. The bill would also enable Te Pūkenga to remain as a transitional entity for unallocated programmes and activities for a 1-year period after commencement. Make a submission on the bill by 11:59pm on Wednesday, 18 June 2025.
