Employment Verification and History: Misreported Job Applicant Qualifications and Implications for Job Search

Last registered on December 14, 2023
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Employment Verification and History: Misreported Job Applicant Qualifications and Implications for Job Search
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0006239
Initial registration date
July 28, 2020

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
July 29, 2020, 10:11 AM EDT

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

Last updated
December 14, 2023, 2:41 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
Nivedhitha Subramanian
Affiliation
Bates College
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Erica Field
PI Affiliation
Duke University
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PI Name
Robert Garlick
PI Affiliation
Duke University
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PI Name
Kate Vyborny
PI Affiliation
Duke University
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2016-10-20
End date
2025-12-31
Keywords
Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Workers typically report employment histories when applying to jobs. Existing research shows that information about employment histories influences firms' hiring decisions. However, if verifying employment histories is costly to firms, then firms may not verify all job applicants' employment histories, giving applicants an incentive to misreport. This can reduce the expected value of hires for firms, leading to fewer job postings and lower wage offers. This information problem may be alleviated by a centralized employment verification service that lowers the total cost of verification by avoiding effort duplication by firms. We explore these ideas by creating a centralized employment verification service in Lahore, Pakistan. In this trial, we focus on jobseekers. We randomize the probability that their self-reported employment history will be audited. We measure the extent of misreporting and the effect of audit threats on reporting behavior. A second trial, to be registered separately on this site, will study how firms respond to access to verified information.

We are registering this trial during the COVID-19 epidemic. Our intervention end date, trial end date, and final sample size will depend on the progress of the epidemic.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Field, Erica et al. 2023. "Employment Verification and History: Misreported Job Applicant Qualifications and Implications for Job Search." AEA RCT Registry. December 14. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.6239-1.1
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2019-08-01
Intervention End Date
2024-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Retrospective reported jobseeker qualifications; Post-treatment labor market activity including job search, employment, employment characteristics
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We conduct an experiment on Job Talash, a job search facilitation service. We experimentally vary the probability that jobseekers’ self-reported qualifications will be audited. Jobseekers are divided into a pre-announced audit group and a control group.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization is conducted using Stata.
Randomization Unit
Treatment is assigned at the participant level. Analysis using panel data on participants will account for within-participant clustering.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
N/A
Sample size: planned number of observations
1448 individuals.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
728 individuals in treatment; 720 in control.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Duke University
IRB Approval Date
2014-08-05
IRB Approval Number
C0441 / 2019-0067
Analysis Plan