Beyond training - workers

Last registered on June 29, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Beyond training - workers
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0019005
Initial registration date
June 25, 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
June 29, 2026, 9:15 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
Mikko Silliman
Affiliation
Aalto University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-07-06
End date
2026-08-28
Keywords
Firms & Productivity, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We study how the level of competitiveness in labor markets influences investments workers make in learning in firms using a vignette experiment. Workers are randomly assigned a vignette describing the level of competition in a hypothetical labor market and asked how they perceive and how they would pursue learning opportunities in that environment. Vignettes explicitly specify whether they vary either labor market or product market competition.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Silliman, Mikko. 2026. "Beyond training - workers." AEA RCT Registry. June 29. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.19005-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Workers are randomly assigned a vignette describing the level of competition in a hypothetical labor market and asked how they perceive and how they would pursue learning opportunities in that environment. The vignettes specify whether the competition is in the product or labor market.
Intervention Start Date
2026-07-06
Intervention End Date
2026-08-28

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Our main outcome is the extent that workers believe that their ability to do their job will improve with each year they are exposed to the work environment described in the vignette.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Apart from understanding the extent of worker learning in different types of labor markets, we want to know how workers think they will learn (via formal trainings or via informal learning), what types of skills they will invest in (basic or higher order), and why (motivation, and whether they think skills will be transferrable).
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Workers are randomly exposed to one of four vignettes describing the level of competition in a labor market. Two focus explicitly on labor market competition, two focus explicitly on product market competition.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization by computer.
Randomization Unit
Individual.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Not clustered. 1000 individuals.
Sample size: planned number of observations
1000 individuals.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
250 people are shown a description of competitive labor markets. 250 people are shown a description of monopsonistic labor markets. 250 people are shown a description of competitive product markets. 250 people are shown a description of product labor markets.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Norwegian School of Economics
IRB Approval Date
2026-06-18
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan