Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP15420
Authors: Lena Hensvik; Adrian Adermon
Abstract: How useful is work experience from the gig economy for labor market entrants searching for traditional wage jobs? We conducted a correspondence study in Sweden, comparing callback rates for recent high school graduates with (i) gig-experience, (ii) traditional experience, and (iii) unemployment history. We also study heterogeneous responses with respect to perceived foreign background. Our findings suggest that gig-experience is more valuable than unemployment, but less useful than traditional experience for majority applicants. Strikingly however, no form of labor market experience increases the callback rate for minority workers.
Keywords: gig jobs; correspondence study; discrimination
JEL Codes: J23; J71
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| gig experience (D26) | callback rates (E52) |
| traditional experience (Y20) | callback rates (E52) |
| unemployment (J64) | callback rates (E52) |
| gig experience (D26) | traditional experience (Y20) |
| minority applicants (J15) | callback rates (E52) |
| gig experience (D26) | traditional employment for minority workers (J82) |