Labor-Market Information, Job Postings, and Employer Beliefs: Experimental Evidence from Austria

Last registered on April 24, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Labor-Market Information, Job Postings, and Employer Beliefs: Experimental Evidence from Austria
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018379
Initial registration date
April 16, 2026

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
April 24, 2026, 8:33 AM 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
Andreas Steinmayr
Affiliation
University of Innsbruck
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Sebastian Butschek
PI Affiliation
Universität Innsbruck
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PI Name
Marina Schwab
PI Affiliation
Universität Innsbruck
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PI Name
Mattis Gilbert
PI Affiliation
Sciences Po
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PI Name
Roland Rathelot
PI Affiliation
ENSAE, Institut Polytechnique de Paris
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-04-16
End date
2027-06-30
Keywords
Labor
Additional Keywords
wage posting, hiring, labor market beliefs, belief updating
JEL code(s)
J31, J63, J64, C93, D83, J68
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Many firms report difficulties in filling vacancies. To study the importance of information frictions in the job posting process, we test the effect of giving employers information on the wages posted by competing firms. Together with the Austrian Public Employment Service, we field an employer survey linked to administrative employer–employee data. We embed a randomized information experiment that provides half of the recruiters with recent occupation-specific posted wages for the position most relevant to them. We measure belief updating and link it to subsequent stated and realised posting choices.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Butschek, Sebastian et al. 2026. "Labor-Market Information, Job Postings, and Employer Beliefs: Experimental Evidence from Austria." AEA RCT Registry. April 24. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18379-1.0
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We provide a random subset of participating employers with information about posted wages in their regional occupational labour market. The information treatment consists of an interactive graph showing the distribution of recent posted wages in job ads on a major job board for an occupation chosen by the respondent.
Intervention Start Date
2026-04-16
Intervention End Date
2026-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1. Log intended posted wage
2. Belief on the elasticity of vacancy duration with respect to the posted wage
3. Belief on the elasticity of the number of qualified applicants with respect to the posted wage
4. Posting at least one AMS vacancy for the chosen occupation in the 6 months after survey participation
5. Log realized posted wage in the AMS vacancy/vacancies for chosen occupation (if any)
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We run a between-subject survey experiment, with our information treatment embedded in an online questionnaire. The questionnaire is anchored on the employer's next planned job posting and the corresponding occupation. It elicits beliefs about the typical posted wage in this occupation and then, (for the treatment group), contrasts this with actual posted wages in the market. The design allows us to study the effect of this information on employers' stated market beliefs and intended posted wages on the one hand and their realized posting choices for the next vacancy (in the chosen occupation) on the other.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Stratified block randomization, automated in oTree, with real-time assignment to strata during survey participation.
Randomization Unit
Individual respondent (one per establishment)
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
600 respondents = establishments
Sample size: planned number of observations
600 respondents = establishments
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
300 respondents = establishments treatment;
300 respondents = establishments control.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
MDE for log intended posted wage (with controls): 0.039 log points. MDE for actually posting a vacancy (with controls): 8 percentage points.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Board for Ethical Questions in Science of the University of Innsbruck
IRB Approval Date
2026-02-02
IRB Approval Number
09/2026
Analysis Plan

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