Quantifying Algorithmic Friction in Automated Resume Screening Systems

Fuente: arXiv
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Autor principal: Fofanah, Ibrahim Denis
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2026
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author Fofanah, Ibrahim Denis
author_facet Fofanah, Ibrahim Denis
contents Automated resume screening systems are now a central part of hiring at scale, yet there is growing evidence that rigid screening logic can exclude qualified candidates before human review. In prior work, we introduced the concept of Artificial Frictional Unemployment to describe labor market inefficiencies arising from automated recruitment systems. This paper extends that framework by focusing on measurement. We present a method for quantifying algorithmic friction in resume screening pipelines by modeling screening as a classification task and defining friction as excess false negative rejection caused by semantic misinterpretation. Using controlled simulations, we compare deterministic keyword-based screening with vector-space semantic matching under identical qualification conditions. The results show that keyword-based screening exhibits high levels of algorithmic friction, while semantic representations substantially reduce false negative rejection without compromising precision. By treating algorithmic friction as a system-level property, this study provides an empirical basis for evaluating how recruitment system design affects matching efficiency in modern labor markets.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_04087
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Quantifying Algorithmic Friction in Automated Resume Screening Systems
Fofanah, Ibrahim Denis
Computers and Society
F.2.2; I.2.7
Automated resume screening systems are now a central part of hiring at scale, yet there is growing evidence that rigid screening logic can exclude qualified candidates before human review. In prior work, we introduced the concept of Artificial Frictional Unemployment to describe labor market inefficiencies arising from automated recruitment systems. This paper extends that framework by focusing on measurement. We present a method for quantifying algorithmic friction in resume screening pipelines by modeling screening as a classification task and defining friction as excess false negative rejection caused by semantic misinterpretation. Using controlled simulations, we compare deterministic keyword-based screening with vector-space semantic matching under identical qualification conditions. The results show that keyword-based screening exhibits high levels of algorithmic friction, while semantic representations substantially reduce false negative rejection without compromising precision. By treating algorithmic friction as a system-level property, this study provides an empirical basis for evaluating how recruitment system design affects matching efficiency in modern labor markets.
title Quantifying Algorithmic Friction in Automated Resume Screening Systems
topic Computers and Society
F.2.2; I.2.7
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.04087