Understanding Barriers to Older Workers' Employment: A Correspondence Study

Last registered on July 01, 2024

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Understanding Barriers to Older Workers' Employment: A Correspondence Study
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013692
Initial registration date
June 08, 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
July 01, 2024, 11:54 AM EDT

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

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
Paris School of Economics - INRA

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
Institut des politiques publiques
PI Affiliation
PSE

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2024-05-30
End date
2024-12-31
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We are studying the three main obstacles to the recruitment of senior workers, identified by the literature: distance to retirement, too specialized human capital and outdated initial training. In order to gain an understanding of the importance of each of these obstacles, we are conducting a correspondence study, sending fictitious CVs to firms of workers over 55 years old. We plan to also conduct a more qualitative study using input from Human Resources (HR) recruiters to understand the belief systems that lead to lower callback rates for senior workers.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Andreescu, Marie, Luc BEHAGHEL and Joyce Sultan. 2024. "Understanding Barriers to Older Workers' Employment: A Correspondence Study." AEA RCT Registry. July 01. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13692-1.0
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention (Hidden)
See analysis plan
Intervention Start Date
2024-05-30
Intervention End Date
2024-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Recall by employers
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We conduct a correspondence study where we cross-randomize the treatment of job offers to receive fictitious resumes varying in three dimensions:
1. Distance to retirement: similar-aged profiles with different retirement ages by 3 years due to an international
mobility. This test will show the impact of the time length until retirement.
2. Importance of tenure: profiles with similar industry experience, but different seniority within a firm. This
test will show if a recruitment penalty exists for senior workers when they have been part of a firm for the
majority of their career.
3. Training: profiles with different recent trainings on-the-job, after the end of their initial education. This
test will show if training at a later point in the career impacts the employment probability early-on in the
recruitment process.

This gives us a 2 x 2 x 3 (distance to retirement x mobility x training) factorial design. Randomization is at the individual job posting level.

The treatment is embedded both by the CVs and the Cover Letters, in order to ensure salience and credibility. All CVs are showing
an unfolding professional experience, such that no profile is unemployed at the moment of the application.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization of CVs sent is done by computer.
Randomization Unit
Job posting. Two CVs sent per job posting
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
n.a.
Sample size: planned number of observations
2000 job postings
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
1000 (thanks to cross-randomization, each dimension of interest is analyzed by comparing two halves of the sample)
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan

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Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials