Justice in Hiring: Why the Most Qualified Should Not (Necessarily) Get the Job

Carey, Brian

Abstract

In this article I argue that justice often requires that candidates who are sufficiently qualified for jobs be hired via lottery on the basis that this is the best way to recognise each candidate's equal moral claim to access meaningful work. In reaching this conclusion I consider a variety of potential objections from the perspectives of the employer, of the most qualified candidate, and of third parties, but ultimately reject the idea that a person's status as the most qualified candidate can explain why they ought to be appointed over other sufficiently qualified candidates.

Citation

Carey, B. (2024). Justice in Hiring: Why the Most Qualified Should Not (Necessarily) Get the Job. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 41(4), 731-744. https://doi.org/10.1111/japp.12727

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 23, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Mar 22, 2024
• Publication Date: 2024-08
• Deposit Date: Apr 16, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 16, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Applied Philosophy
• Print ISSN: 0264-3758
• Electronic ISSN: 1468-5930
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 41
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 731-744
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/japp.12727
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2385494