Pilot study – Targeted support of job search for refugees using the online job platform Path2Work

Last registered on March 19, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Pilot study – Targeted support of job search for refugees using the online job platform Path2Work
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013198
Initial registration date
March 14, 2024

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
March 19, 2024, 5:11 PM EDT

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Achim Ahrens
Affiliation
ETH Zurich
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Mirjam Bächli
PI Affiliation
University of Lausanne
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PI Name
Dominik Hangartner
PI Affiliation
ETH Zurich
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PI Name
Rafael Lalive
PI Affiliation
University of Lausanne
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2024-04-01
End date
2025-07-31
Keywords
Labor
Additional Keywords
job matching, refugee integration, job search assistance, field experiments, information frictions, occupational recommendations, online advice
JEL code(s)
J62, J23, J68, D83, C93, J15
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This pre-analysis plan describes a pilot study for two experiments that we field on the online job platform Path2Work. The platform is specifically designed for this study and is targeted at refugees in Switzerland. The project aims to investigate the hurdles refugees face in finding employment and to gauge the potential of digital platforms in facilitating refugees’ economic integration. The main purpose of this pilot study is to estimate take-up rates and the number of companies posting vacancies relevant to our target group.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Ahrens, Achim et al. 2024. "Pilot study – Targeted support of job search for refugees using the online job platform Path2Work." AEA RCT Registry. March 19. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13198-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Invitation letter experiment: The treatment constitutes an invitation letter, which provides registration details and encourages the recipients to register on the online platform Path2Work, where they can, among others, search for jobs, complete an online assessment and create a public profile.

Employer experiment: We contact employers who have posted relevant vacancies by email. We randomly assign employers to one of three treatments, which provide information about the asylum system and/or provide candidate suggestions, or an active control.
Intervention Start Date
2024-04-01
Intervention End Date
2024-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Invitation letter experiment: Registration rate, average search frequency per week, share of users searching at least once per week, completion rate of skill profile, completion rate of public profile, completion rate of the language test.

Employer experiment: Clicks on email links.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
The outcome variables can be directly computed from usage statistics.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Invitation experiment: We randomly select 4’000 refugees residing in Switzerland who (i) hold permits S, B, or F, (ii) are aged 18 to 64, and (iii) have been in Switzerland for no longer than 7 years.

Employer experiment: We identify vacancies that are relevant for job seekers registered on our platform and for which we are able to scrape an email address from the vacancies’ meta data. The treatments are assigned randomly by company.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Invitation experiment: Randomization is done by a computer by our partner, the Swiss Secretariat of Migration.

Employer experiment: Randomization is done by a computer program.
Randomization Unit
Invitation experiment: Randomization is performed on an individual level.

Employer experiment: Randomization is performed at the company level.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Invitation experiment: 4’000 refugees.

Employer experiment: Randomization is performed at the company level. We cannot provide an exact estimate for the number of companies with relevant vacancies. One purpose of this pilot study is to estimate the number of relevant vacancies and the number of companies.
Sample size: planned number of observations
Invitation experiment: 4’000 refugees. Employer experiment: Unknown, see the previous comment.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Invitation experiment: 4’000 refugees.

Employer experiment: 25% for each of the three treatment groups; 25% for the active control group.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
ETH Zurich Ethics Commission
IRB Approval Date
2024-01-10
IRB Approval Number
EK 2023-N-291
Analysis Plan