Labor discrimination in the higher education system of Georgia: problems and modern challenges

Purpose This paper is dedicated to labor discrimination, the most challenging and acute problem of the modern higher education system, which is one of the primary global concerns of the 21st century in higher education. This study aims to analyze the causes of discrimination in the higher education system of Georgia, to determine the priority types and forms of discrimination in the process of career management of personnel employed in educational institutions and to develop specific recommendations based on the successful antidiscrimination experience of developed countries, which will contribute to the development of an effective mechanism for eliminating discrimination in the higher education system of Georgia. Design/methodology/approach The statistical software package was used to process the data obtained during the research process. Throughout the analysis, numerous statistical techniques were employed, such as conducting an interview, running Mann–Whitney test, hypothesis testing, ANOVA test and much more. It is important to emphasize that various important hypotheses were developed during the research process. Finally, we presented conclusions and recommendations. Findings The study found that personnel discrimination is a severe, urgent and pervasive problem in Georgia. As a result of research, hypotheses N1, N2, N4, N5 and N7 were confirmed. In particular, the respondents’ discrimination is influenced by their field of employment; employees with low- and medium-level job positions are the most frequently discriminated against in both the private and public sectors; discrimination in both sectors has an impact on a person's work performance, personal life and health; weakening oversight of discriminatory issues leads to increased discrimination in both sectors. Research limitations/implications One of the disadvantages of the mentioned study is that it was only conducted in several Georgian universities. The results of the study can be generalized only to the employees of the universities participating in the study. In the future, research is planned in all universities in Georgia, which will give us a unified picture. In addition, it would be ideal to do international research with foreign colleagues to compare the described findings by country. Practical implications The authors anticipate that the mentioned study’s findings will have theoretical and practical implications. Universities must consider the recommendations presented, as doing so will significantly reduce discrimination and employee stress levels. As a result, their performance and sense of belonging inside the organization will improve. Originality/value This study is a novelty in terms of Georgian reality, as the discrimination exploration has not been investigated in the higher education. Therefore, all the interested parties, such as policymakers, institutions, scholars and far more, will benefit from the findings.