Data and code for: The Selection of Talent: Experimental and Structural Evidence from Ethiopia

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Girum Abebe, World Bank; A. Stefano Caria, University of Warwick; Esteban Ortiz-Ospina, Our World In Data

Version: View help for Version V1

Name	File Type	Size	Last Modified
code			11/25/2020 04:36:PM
data			11/25/2020 04:36:PM
paper			11/25/2020 04:38:PM
ListTablesFigures.xlsx	application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet	12.4 KB	11/25/2020 11:36:AM
README.pdf	application/pdf	91.6 KB	05/11/2021 09:06:AM

Project Description

Summary: We study how search frictions in the labour market affect firms' ability to recruit talented workers. In a field experiment in Ethiopia, we show that an employer can attract more talented applicants by offering a small monetary incentive for making a job application. Estimates from a structural model suggest that the intervention is effective because the cost of making a job application is large, and positively correlated with jobseeker ability. We provide evidence that this positive correlation is driven by dynamic selection. In a second experiment, we show that local recruiters underestimate the positive impacts of application incentives.

Scope of Project

Subject Terms: Search frictions; RCT; Structural model; Ethiopia

JEL Classification:
      J23 Labor Demand
      J24 Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
      O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

Geographic Coverage: Ethiopia

Data Type(s): administrative records data; experimental data; program source code; survey data

Methodology

Unit(s) of Observation: Jobseekers, Firms

Related Publications

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Published Versions

V1 [2021-05-26]

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DDI 2.5

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