Jobseekers' beliefs about comparative advantage and (mis)directed search

Arbeitspapier

Worker sorting into tasks and occupations has long been recognized as an important feature of labor markets. But this sorting may be inefficient if jobseekers have inaccurate beliefs about their skills and therefore apply to jobs that do not match their skills. To test this idea, we measure young South African jobseekers' communication and numeracy skills and their beliefs about their skill levels. Many jobseekers believe they are better at the skill in which they score lower, relative to other jobseekers. These beliefs predict the skill requirements of jobs where they apply. In two field experiments, giving jobseekers their skill assessment results shifts their beliefs toward their assessment results. It also redirects their search toward jobs that value the skill in which they score relatively higher - using measures from administrative, incentivized task, and survey data - but does not increase total search effort. It also raises earnings and job quality, consistent with inefficient sorting due to limited information.

Angaben zum Objekt

• Sprache: Englisch

Verweise und Beziehungen

• Erschienen in: Series: Upjohn Institute Working Paper ; No. 23-388

Klassifikation und Themen

• Klassifikation: Wirtschaft ; Field Experiments ; Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness ; Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity ; Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials ; Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
• Thema: jobseekers ; worker matching ; skills ; beliefs ; search effort ; field experiments ; South Africa

Beteiligte, Orts- und Zeitangaben

• Ereignis: Geistige Schöpfung
• (wer): Kiss, Andrea ; Garlick, Robert ; Orkin, Kate ; Hensel, Lukas
• Ereignis: Veröffentlichung
• (wer): W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
• (wo): Kalamazoo, MI
• (wann): 2023

Weitere Informationen

• DOI: doi:10.17848/wp23-388
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/283982
• Letzte Aktualisierung: 10.03.2025, 11:43 MEZ