Hiring in Lead and Supplier Organizations

Last registered on January 21, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Hiring in Lead and Supplier Organizations
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0016396
Initial registration date
August 19, 2025

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
August 22, 2025, 5:54 AM EDT

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

Last updated
January 21, 2026, 2:27 PM EST

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Charlotte O'Herron
Affiliation
Harvard University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-01-23
End date
2028-01-23
Keywords
Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Outsourcing has lead to the proliferation of contract companies and staffing agencies, and these "supplier" organizations are often contrasted with "lead firms." The literature also highlights employer hiring discrimination as a persistent source of labor market inequality. We know little about how the organizational dynamics of supplier firms can shape hiring trends and discrimination. This project aims to understand hiring behaviors and discrimination at supplier and lead firms.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
O'Herron, Charlotte. 2026. "Hiring in Lead and Supplier Organizations." AEA RCT Registry. January 21. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.16396-1.1
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Job applications will be randomized to three different treatments that manipulate the characteristics of the applicant. These treatments will be: having a criminal justice record, having a history of skills underutilization, and a control condition.
Intervention Start Date
2026-01-23
Intervention End Date
2028-01-23

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The primary outcome is whether the given application received a call-back.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Job postings for similar jobs at lead and supplier organizations in the U.S. will be sampled. Then, each job posting will receive three applications—one from each of the three treatment arms: criminal justice record, skills underutilization, and control. Within each job posting, applications will be randomly assigned to one (and only one) of the three treatment arms. Call-backs for each application will be tracked.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization will be done in office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Three applicant characteristics—criminal justice record, skills underutilization, and control—make up the treatment arms of the study and will be randomly assigned at the application level. For each job posting that is sampled, an application will be randomized to one (and only one) of these treatment arms, and three applications will be submitted to each job posting.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
The data are clustered at the level of the job posting, and the study intends to submit applications to 1,500 job postings, with potentially multiple postings at a given employer.
Sample size: planned number of observations
As three treatment arms will be submitted to each job posting, the total number of observations is 4,500 applications (1,500 job postings X 3)
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
1,500 criminal justice record applications, 1,500 skills underutilization applications, and 1,500 control applications.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Harvard University Area Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2025-08-01
IRB Approval Number
IRB00000109
Analysis Plan

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