Ethan Sebastian (44) is sitting in his apartment in Regensdorf in the Swiss canton of Zurich as he is receiving mail. «Hopefully there won’t be any word such as 'in the future' or 'best of luck'», as he knows: «Human resource departments only use those expressions if they send out rejections.»
The Jamaican publishing assistant is showing «SonntagsBlick» hundreds of mails he received from Swiss companies. They all turned down his job applications.
Sebastian studied English literature in the U.S. Since then he has worked for different publishing companies around the world. In October 2011, he moved to Switzerland. Ever since he’s been looking for a job. «I was always wondering why I don't find a job.» Now he seems to understand. «The color of my skin is the reason.»
To prove his point, Sebastian changed the picture on his resume. Adding a photograph to a job application is common praxis in Switzerland. Instead of his own picture he’s sent in one of his dead Godfather who was white. Sebastian also changed his name to Ron Emler. The rest of the application remained the same.
Sebastian sent his fake job application to twenty companies that originally turned him down. To his surprise, «17 of them invited me to an interview». Amongst the companies are a big American hotel chain, several public relations agencies and communication firms.
Sebastian says that the positive responses he received as a white applicant proofs his point: «I was turned down because of racism.»
Experts support his allegations. «Without a doubt, it is more difficult for blacks than for whites to get a job [in Switzerland]», says Celeste Ugochukwu (47), Switzerland’s African Diaspora Council president. «Some employers believe, that Afro-Americans are only good at making music and dancing. Others think that they are criminals and not trustworthy.»
How does Sebastian react to racism? «It's depressing», he says. He is sitting around all day, feeling useless. «Money became a huge problem. I couldn't buy my son presents for his birthday or Christmas.»
Nevertheless, the Jamaican man refuses to claim social welfare in Switzerland. «I want to work for my money, but no one is willing to give me a chance.»
He’s not only trying his luck in publishing. Sebastian also applied for jobs at cleaning companies and restaurants. They all turned him down.
Sebastian lives in the German speaking part of Switzerland. «My German skills are not perfect», he states. «But it should be enough to wash dishes.»
The Diaspora Council used to have a project to improve the exchange between the Black community and Swiss employers. The Swiss government supported the project financially. But the support ended in 2013. Ugochukwu has since successfully requested a study about the discrimination of black people at work. The results will be published this year.
Sebastian turned down all 17 job offers he received after using a fake picture in his application. «By the time of the job interview everyone would have noticed that I cheated on my CV.»
«SonntagsBlick» has contacted several companies involved – not a single one was willing to answer questions.
They don't have to fear any consequences. «Our legal system doesn't offer many possibilities», says Michele Galizia (59), director of the Swiss government agency Service for Combating Racism. Sebastian won't press charges. «I just wanted to proof, that black people have disadvantages if they want to find a job.»