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Improving Job Search: Matching, Cognition, and Nudges

Last registered on March 31, 2019
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Improving Job Search: Matching, Cognition, and Nudges
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0004036
Initial registration date
March 26, 2019

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
March 31, 2019, 11:09 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Switzerland
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Helene Benghalem
Affiliation
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Matthias Kliegel
PI Affiliation
University of Geneva
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PI Name
Mauro Cherubini
PI Affiliation
University of Lausanne
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PI Name
Michele Pellizzari
PI Affiliation
University of Geneva
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PI Name
Rafael Lalive
PI Affiliation
University of Lausanne
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2019-04-01
End date
2022-06-01
Keywords
Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
Getting the unemployed back into work is an important policy agenda and the central mandate for employment agencies. But the tools available to employment agencies, e.g. search verification, or active labor market programs, do not yet support job seekers much in solving one of the key challenges of job search finding the right vacancies to apply to. Job seekers may be looking for jobs that are not well suited for them, or out of the range that is feasible. In addition, job seekers may face cognitive challenges due to anxiety and stress, which reduce working memory and impair decisions, affecting their capacity to learn from their own experience, or search for diverse sets of job positions. Also, job seekers may procrastinate job search, and not search with sufficient intensity. We propose a field experiment to improve job search with three interventions: (i) improve the match between job seekers and vacancies based on new information on the job seeker ("J4U" intervention), (ii) "nudge" job seekers to search at regular intervals ("NJS" intervention), and (iii) provide cognitive training that has been shown to improve participants' ability to plan activities, work on multiple tasks in parallel, and make decisions ("COG" intervention). These abilities are central in job search.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Benghalem, Helene et al. 2019. "Improving Job Search: Matching, Cognition, and Nudges." AEA RCT Registry. March 31. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.4036-1.0
Former Citation
Benghalem, Helene et al. 2019. "Improving Job Search: Matching, Cognition, and Nudges." AEA RCT Registry. March 31. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/4036/history/44403
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2019-04-01
Intervention End Date
2020-06-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Job search intensity and unemployment duration
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We propose an implementation plan that allows testing whether the three interventions are complementary. Job seekers could be able to use information much better once their cognitive capabilities have been improved. Likewise, information might work better if job seekers receive nudges that help them engage in job search. We take this into account by implementing a design that tests each intervention in isolation, but also in combination with one other intervention. Job seekers will be randomly assigned to one of six groups:
- a control group;
- a J4U group with information on jobs for you;
- a COG group with cognitive training;
- a NJS group with nudges;
- a J4U+NJS group that receives jobs for you, and nudges.
- a J4U+COG group cognition training, and information on jobs for you.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
/
Sample size: planned number of observations
2400 job seekers
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
400 job seekers in each group
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Ethics committee of HEC Lausanne
IRB Approval Date
2017-10-03
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan

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