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To what extent is there equal treatment between ethnic minorities and majorities in recruitment processes in public agencies? In this article, this question is answered using data from all phases of the recruitment process, from callbacks to interviews to final nomination of candidates. The analysis indicates that candidates with an ethnic minority background are systematically discriminated against. A key explanation for our findings is that employers in the public sector experience a large degree of freedom and emphasize subjective and non-transparent criteria, e.g. «personal suitability», even though state agencies are subject to stricter regulation than private companies.