Public defence in Information Systems Science, Yuting Jiang, MSc.

The doctoral thesis of Yuting Jiang, MSc. “Visual Bias in Digital Labor Market:  Formation, Manifestation, and  Mitigation” will be publicly examined at the Aalto University School of Business on Tuesday, September 30, 2025.

New Research Uncovers How Your Photo Influences Online Job Hires and How to Mitigate the Bias

Have you ever worried that your profile picture might help or hurt your chances of getting a job online? You're not alone. This doctoral thesis investigates "visual bias" on digital work platforms like Upwork and Fiverr. It examines how our facial appearance, perceived professionalism, and even our race or gender can unfairly influence hiring decisions in the online gig economy. While online platforms have made hiring global talent easier, they have also unintentionally transferred old-world biases into a digital format. The purpose of this research was to understand how these biases form, how they play out in real hiring data, and most importantly, to find practical, science-backed solutions to mitigate them. The goal is to help build a fairer and more inclusive future for digital work. Using large-scale data analysis and artificial intelligence to study over 85,000 freelancer profiles, the research revealed: First impressions based on photos are powerful. Factors like demographic traits, photo quality, and even nonverbal cues significantly impact who gets hired. Surprisingly, an overly professional or "polished" photo can backfire by reducing a candidate's perceived authenticity. Bias isn't just initial; it gets reinforced over time. A platform's reputation systems can lock in early biased decisions, making it harder for newcomers to break in. The most significant finding is that there is no single fix. Effective solutions require a dual strategy: Strategic Visual Alignment: The study found that when a worker and a client share perceived facial similarity, racial bias can be reduced. This suggests that platforms could use matching tools to help mitigate discrimination. Attention-Shifting Interventions: For bias rooted in gender, the solution isn't about the photo but about the job itself. The research shows that designing job postings to be more complex and detailed shifts an employer's focus away from gender and onto the actual skills required for the task. This research provides a first-of-its-kind comprehensive framework that tackles bias not just at the moment of hire, but throughout its entire lifecycle. It moves beyond simply identifying a problem to offering actionable, technological, and design-based solutions.

Opponent: Professor Najmul Islam, LUT University
Custos (Chairperson): Professor Matti Rossi, Aalto University School of Business

Contact information: 
Email: yuting.jiang@aalto.fi
Tel: +358505758198

Link to the doctoral thesis: https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/sec/eonly/riiputus/?lang=en