This article exists to provide clarity on what demographic data is, why Indeed is collecting it from job seekers, and how it is (and is not) used. Check out this page for more information.

We understand the importance of being cautious when sharing your personal information, so we hope this resource helps answer your questions. 

FAQ at a glance

See the frequently asked questions with the short answers below. If you want more specifics, just click on the question to jump to the more detailed answer.

1. What is demographic data and what categories of demographic data does Indeed collect?

   Demographics are the qualities of a group of people. Indeed’s optional survey asks users to provide age (birth year), race & ethnicity, gender identity, disability status, LGBTQIA+ community membership, and arrest/conviction history.
   
   

2. Does “demographic data” include my address, social security number, telephone number, or email address?

   No.
   
   

3. Will employers be able to see my personal demographic data?

   No, employers will not see your individual demographic data responses without your permission.
   
   

4. Will my demographic data be used in reviewing my job application?

   No, this information will not become part of your application.
   
   

5. How can I share my demographic data? 

   Sign in on Indeed.com, click the person icon in the top right of your screen, then select My demographics in the drop-down menu.
   
   

6. What is Indeed trying to achieve by collecting this data? 

   We want to make sure our technology is helping all people get jobs in a way that is fair. If certain groups of users aren’t being served by our products, we need to know so that we can make improvements.
   
   

7. How will the demographic data I submit through the survey be used?

   Indeed can use the data to:

   • Ensure our products make opportunities available for everyone (ex: see Fair Chance)
   • Evaluate fairness across Indeed’s offerings (ex: see AI Ethics)
   • Help employers in their inclusive hiring efforts (but don’t worry, they wouldn’t see your individual data)
     
     

8. I no longer want to share my demographic data with Indeed. How can I remove it?

   You can update or remove your data at any time by clicking here or selecting My demographics from the global navigation drop-down.
   
   

9. I do not want to share my demographic data. Can I still use Indeed?

   Yes, of course.
   
   

10. Where does Indeed collect demographic data from job seekers?

    Indeed currently collects demographic data from job seekers in the U.S., UK, Ireland, and France, but plans to expand to more countries.

FAQ Deep Dive

Below you will find more detailed answers to the questions above. 

1. What is demographic data and what categories of demographic data does Indeed collect?

   Broadly speaking, “demographics” represent the various characteristics of a population. These characteristics can include factors such as the age, race, and disability status of a population. While there are many categories of “demographics” that can be captured, Indeed is currently only looking to capture a subset of these categories from job seekers who volunteer this information. See below for more information.
   
   U.S. based job seekers have the option to share the following data across 6 categories. You can choose which categories you share. The 6 categories include:
   
   
   • Age (Birth year)
   • Race & Ethnicity
   • Gender
   • Disability status
   • LGBTQIA+ Community Membership
   • Arrest or conviction history
     
     

2. Does “demographic data” include my address, social security number, telephone number, or email address?

   No. While you are required to have an Indeed profile to submit your demographic data, Indeed is not capturing the address, social security number, telephone number, or email address as part of the job seeker demographic data survey. Only the demographics listed above are captured as part of the survey. 
   
   

3. Will employers be able to see my personal demographic data?

   No. Indeed is committed to our job seekers’ privacy. We do not share any of your individual demographic data (the 6 categories described above) with employers. You can read more about Indeed’s Privacy Policy. 
   
   
   • We will not share your individual demographic data with employers without your permission.
   • We will not show your demographic data on your profile or resume.
   • Indeed may share a summary of aggregated (group) data with employers upon request, but employers will not be able to see your individual demographic data responses without your permission.
     • Example of aggregate data: 45% of applicants identify as male or 10% of hired applicants identified as Hispanic or Latino.
       
       

4. Will my demographic data be used in reviewing my job application?

   No, your demographic data is not part of what employers review when reviewing your job application.
   
   Some employers are required by law to ask each job applicant to provide their demographic data and you may see these questions when applying to jobs on Indeed. That is a separate process from Indeed’s collection of demographic data.
   
   
   • The purpose of collecting this information is to provide aggregated data, information on groups of job applicants, to the government agencies responsible for enforcing anti-discrimination laws, so they can do their job. (For more information, you can visit the websites for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.)
     
     

5. How can I share my demographic data?

   Sign in on Indeed.com, click the person icon in the top right of your screen, then select My demographics in the drop-down menu.
   
   

6. What is Indeed trying to achieve by collecting this data?

   A commitment to inclusivity and fairness in the hiring process is core to our mission. Indeed wants to be a place where all candidates get a fair and equitable chance. Inclusive hiring can help employers broaden their candidate pool and make hiring decisions based on a candidate’s skills and abilities to do the job.
   
   As a data-driven company, we believe you can’t improve something if you can’t measure it. We are identifying methods to measure fairness in our offerings, and we need demographic data from job seekers to achieve these goals.
   
   As we grow, Indeed can build products that provide insights into hiring. With Indeed’s data and analytics, our goal is to make it easier for employers to engage, manage and hire candidates in a more inclusive way.
   
   

7. How will the demographic data I submit through the survey be used?

   Indeed can use your data in the following ways:

   • To evaluate our offerings. By evaluating fairness in our offerings, we can work towards ensuring that they are making opportunities available for everyone. For example, Indeed was able to better understand our job seeker population, which informed product improvements that helped justice-impacted job seekers through the Fair Chance hiring initiative.
   • As we describe in our statement on algorithms and fairness, a commitment to fairness is core to our mission, and we are working to understand how to assess and test our technology (ex: the AI Ethics team works across the business to build tools, systems, and processes that advance responsible and inclusive technology).
   • Assist employers in their inclusive hiring efforts: Indeed may share a summary of aggregate data, providing information on groups of job seekers, with employers in the future.
   • We may share aggregated demographic data related to overall applicants or hires - for instance, when 45% of total applicants identify as male or when 10% of total applicants identify as Asian American.

   Indeed is committed to your privacy.

   • We will not share your individual demographic data with employers without your permission.
   • We will not show your individual demographic data on your profile or resume.
     
     

8. I no longer want to share my demographic data with Indeed. How can I remove it?

   You can update or remove your data at any time by clicking here or selecting My demographics from the global navigation drop-down.
   
   

9. I do not want to share my demographic data. Can I still use Indeed?

   Yes. Sharing your demographic data is completely optional. You are still able to use Indeed if you choose not to share your demographic data and you have control over how much or little you share. We hope, however, that you will consider sharing to help us improve our offerings. If you have any other questions about demographic data, please feel free to reach out to our customer support team for further assistance.
   
   

10. Where does Indeed collect demographic data from job seekers?

    Indeed is committed to helping all people get jobs in a way that is fair. We currently collect demographic data from job seekers in the U.S., UK, Ireland, and France, but plan to expand to more countries.