Using Digital Connectivity to Expand Global Job Opportunities for African Workers

Last registered on July 08, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Using Digital Connectivity to Expand Global Job Opportunities for African Workers
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0016818
Initial registration date
November 13, 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
November 17, 2025, 2:34 PM EST

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

Last updated
July 08, 2026, 7:05 PM EDT

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Dean Yang
Affiliation
University of Michigan
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Dean Yang
PI Affiliation
University of Michigan
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PI Name
David MzKenzie
PI Affiliation
World Bank
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PI Name
Teng Liu
PI Affiliation
UC Santa Cruz
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PI Name
Sunny Lee
PI Affiliation
Upwork
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PI Name
Nathan Sunday
PI Affiliation
University of Michigan
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PI Name
Robertson Khataza
PI Affiliation
Lilongwe University of Agriculture
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2025-08-01
End date
2027-07-30
Keywords
Gender, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Sub-Saharan Africa faces high youth unemployment, with women disproportionately excluded from labor market opportunities due to mobility and social constraints. At the same time, global freelancing platforms offer opportunities to earn wages that far exceed those available in local markets. Yet, informational and reputational frictions—such as limited knowledge of effective bidding strategies, weak initial profiles, and lack of job search persistence—as well as liquidity constraints prevent many skilled workers from successfully entering these markets. This study evaluates whether reducing these frictions improves labor market outcomes for young African professionals in remote work.

We will conduct a randomized controlled trial with workers who meet baseline screening criteria. Participants will be assigned to treatment arms that vary two interventions; individualized mentoring from experienced African freelancers, and liquidity support.

Outcomes will be measured using both platform administrative data and surveys, covering job search intensity, contract acquisition, and earnings. The study will also assess heterogeneous impacts by gender, informing both the economics of digital labor markets and the design of scalable interventions to expand global job access.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Khataza, Robertson et al. 2026. "Using Digital Connectivity to Expand Global Job Opportunities for African Workers." AEA RCT Registry. July 08. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.16818-2.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We evaluate a program designed to help young African professionals succeed in global online labor markets. The intervention consists of two main components: (i) one-on-one mentoring by experienced African freelancers, and (ii) small financial incentives in the form of credits required to submit job applications
Intervention Start Date
2025-09-01
Intervention End Date
2027-03-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Online labor (extensive margin): receives at least one online contract in the first 3 months
Online labor earnings in the first 3 months, winsorized at 99%.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Job search activity on the platform
Bid strategy
Total earnings
Client rating
Other online job platform usage
Job satisfaction index
More than 1 contract
Medium-term outcomes
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We recruit skilled young professionals from Sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on gender balance, to participate in a randomized controlled trial evaluating support for online freelancing. Eligible applicants are screened on basic readiness to engage on an online platform. Participants are then randomized at the individual level, stratified by gender and mentors, into treatment and control groups.

The experiment features multiple treatment arms that vary two components in combination: (i) one-on-one mentoring by experienced African freelancers only; (ii) application credits only; and (iii) mentoring plus application credits
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
Individuals
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Our target sample is 1000 workers. Recruitment of participants will be in batches, with the initial pilot 200 workers currently underway.
Sample size: planned number of observations
1000 workers
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
250 workers control, 250 workers mentoring, 250 workers liquidity support (application credits), 250 workers both mentoring and liquidity support
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Michigan Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2025-09-16
IRB Approval Number
HUM00230621
Analysis Plan

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