Southern accents could cost job seekers a 20% wage penalty, study finds

A new study found that job seekers with a Southern accent could make less money than people without one.

According to the study by the University of Chicago and the University of Munich, people with a Southern accent could lose out on thousands of dollars per year.

The research revealed that people with strong regional accents face a wage penalty of up to 20% compared to those who speak with a “standard accent.”

Another recent study found that 38% of job seekers admitted to “softening” their regional accents during interviews because of negative stereotypes. 

This study by the Writing Tips Institute found that applicants with a Southern accent were the fourth most likely to change their voice. People from Western New England, South Midland and New Jersey were the most likely to alter their accents.

The Writing Tips Institute’s study, which surveyed 3,000 people, also discovered the professions in which job applicants are more likely to change their accents.

Real Estate was the most likely industry where prospective employees change the way they speak, followed by tourism, public service, information technology, engineering, hospitality, finance, retail, healthcare and media.