Which jobs appeal to student workers?

Last registered on January 05, 2024
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Which jobs appeal to student workers?
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0011812
Initial registration date
July 20, 2023

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
July 20, 2023, 5:57 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
January 05, 2024, 10:17 AM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

Primary Investigator

Name
Amanda Chuan
Affiliation
Michigan State University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Hye Jin Rho
PI Affiliation
Michigan State University
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2022-06-01
End date
2029-06-01
Keywords
Education, Labor
Additional Keywords
job amenities, job postings, flexible work
JEL code(s)
J22, J28, J30
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Many begin their work lives with a part-time job while in school. These jobs may play a critical role in shaping preferences over work and helping youth navigate the school-to-work transition. However, little is known regarding the job features that appeal to student workers. We partner with a large state university to recruit its students for real jobs. We randomize over 47,000 students to receive emails which vary information about wages, required work hours per week, and schedule flexibility. To measure students’ responses to this information, we track their real job applications and their pre-application job interest using their activity on the recruitment website. We pair this with a survey regarding their preferences over jobs. Responses to survey vignettes indicate that students' reservation wages are significantly lower for jobs which offer more flexibility. Moreover, reservation wages are significantly lower for employers which laid off a fewer fraction of students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Lastly, they are significantly lower for employers which prioritized students' financial needs over their productivity in choosing who to retain during pandemic-induced mass layoffs.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Chuan, Amanda and Hye Jin Rho. 2024. "Which jobs appeal to student workers?." AEA RCT Registry. January 05. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.11812-1.2
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We vary the information highlighted on real jobs advertised to students.
In some emails, we vary whether we mention that "some jobs pay $13" or "some jobs pay $15" to shift the reference point for students.
In some emails, we mention that there is "flexible scheduling around classes".
In some emails, we mention that for some jobs, it is mandatory to work two shifts during the week and two shifts every other weekend.
Intervention Start Date
2022-08-14
Intervention End Date
2023-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
We will examine whether students clicked on the job website depending on the information they received about jobs, whether students submitted a job application, and whether students began to work for a job. We also plan to obtain information about retention and turnover in these jobs.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
We will examine differences in click rates by timing relative to the intervention date.
We will examine differences by race and gender.
Lastly, we will examine whether our intervention affects the types and characteristics of the jobs that receive applications.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Across-subject design. Subjects will receive one of 6 potential emails. All emails will be identical except for different features highlighted in the emails. All emails will take subjects to the official university job application portal, which will reveal to subjects identical information about jobs available and the attributes of each job.

Email 1:

Dear <NAME>:

Michigan State University Student Life and Engagement (MSU SLE) is hiring student workers for the Fall 2022 Semester. You could earn $13 per hour. Different jobs pay different rates.

For more information, please see jobs.rhs.msu.edu.

Sincerely,
MSU Student Life and Engagement

Email 2:

Dear <NAME>:

Michigan State University Student Life and Engagement (MSU SLE) is hiring student workers for the Fall 2022 Semester. You could earn $15 per hour. Different jobs pay different rates.

For more information, please see jobs.rhs.msu.edu.

Sincerely,
MSU Student Life and Engagement

Email 3:

Dear <NAME>:

Michigan State University Student Life and Engagement (MSU SLE) is hiring student workers for the Fall 2022 Semester. You could earn $13 per hour. Different jobs pay different rates. For some jobs, workers must work two shifts during the week and two shifts every other weekend.

For more information, please see jobs.rhs.msu.edu.

Sincerely,
MSU Student Life and Engagement


Email 4:

Dear <NAME>:

Michigan State University Student Life and Engagement (MSU SLE) is hiring student workers for the Fall 2022 Semester. You could earn $15 per hour. Different jobs pay different rates. For some jobs, workers must work two shifts during the week and two shifts every other weekend.

For more information, please see jobs.rhs.msu.edu.

Sincerely,
MSU Student Life and Engagement

Email 5:
Dear <NAME>:

Michigan State University Student Life and Engagement (MSU SLE) is hiring student workers for the Fall 2022 Semester. You could earn $13 per hour. Different jobs pay different rates. Flexible scheduling around classes.

For more information, please see jobs.rhs.msu.edu.

Sincerely,
MSU Student Life and Engagement

Email 6:
Dear <NAME>:

Michigan State University Student Life and Engagement (MSU SLE) is hiring student workers for the Fall 2022 Semester. You could earn $15 per hour. Different jobs pay different rates. Flexible scheduling around classes.

For more information, please see jobs.rhs.msu.edu.

Sincerely,
MSU Student Life and Engagement
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Pseudo-random number generation using Excel software
Randomization Unit
Student
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
47,000 students
Sample size: planned number of observations
47,000 students
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
7830 per condition for each of the 6 conditions
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Michigan State University
IRB Approval Date
2022-11-28
IRB Approval Number
00007140
Analysis Plan