June 13, 2026
Study Finds Black Supervisors May Help Reduce Bias In Hiring Evaluations
New research suggests the presence of Black leaders in hiring processes may help challenge negative assumptions about Black workers and improve workplace equity.
Despite decades of diversity initiatives, Black professionals continue to face significant barriers in the workplace, from hiring discrimination and slower promotion rates to racial microaggressions and unequal scrutiny. Now, new research suggests that increasing Black representation in leadership positions could play a meaningful role in reducing some forms of workplace bias.
According to the study, “Belief Updating, Observability, and Race in the Labor Market,” economists Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman and Emma Rackstraw examined whether the presence of a Black supervisor influences how people evaluate Black job candidates.
“Back in 2021, Emma was working on a paper exploring whether people evaluate workers differently when given signals about the average productivity of different groups,” Opoku-Agyeman told Forbes. “Building off that work, we wanted to better understand if screeners evaluate worker productivity differently if they know that a Black supervisor is watching how they evaluate.”
To test their theory, the researchers conducted an online experiment involving nearly 3,000 U.S. participants, many of whom had prior hiring experience. Participants reviewed resumes and estimated candidate performance while being assigned to one of four conditions: supervision by a Black supervisor, a white supervisor, a supervisor whose race was not disclosed, or no supervisor at all. The results revealed a notable shift in perceptions.
“What we find is that when you share with [participants] that they are being supervised by a Black supervisor, their stated beliefs about Black workers change,” Opoku-Agyeman said. Participants who believed a Black supervisor was overseeing the process rated Black candidates as more productive on average.
Rackstraw noted that participants “guessed Black candidates answered 0.5 more questions correctly when they saw a Black supervisor, which closed around 20% of the racial gap that was present under white supervisors.”
While the findings did not entirely eliminate racial disparities, the researchers say they highlight a potential pathway to disrupt bias in talent evaluation. Opoku-Agyeman argued that promoting Black employees into leadership roles could help organizations identify top talent while reducing discriminatory decision-making.
The findings arrive as many companies reassess diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. For Black job seekers, Opoku-Agyeman offered a practical takeaway: pay attention to who holds leadership positions within an organization.
“The research is clear,” she told Forbes. “Without clear intervention, the job market is harder for us than it is for anyone else.”
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