Working Paper: NBER ID: w20528
Authors: David J. Deming; Noam Yuchtman; Amira Abulafi; Claudia Goldin; Lawrence F. Katz
Abstract: We study employers’ perceptions of the value of postsecondary degrees using a field experiment. We randomly assign the sector and selectivity of institutions to fictitious resumes and apply to real vacancy postings for business and health jobs on a large online job board. We find that a business bachelor’s degree from a for-profit “online” institution is 22 percent less likely to receive a callback than one from a non-selective public institution. In applications to health jobs, we find that for-profit credentials receive fewer callbacks unless the job requires an external quality indicator such as an occupational license.
Keywords: postsecondary education; for-profit colleges; labor market; employer perceptions
JEL Codes: I21; J24
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| postsecondary credentials (I23) | employer callback rates (J68) |
| business bachelor's degree from for-profit online institution (M19) | employer callback rates (J68) |
| business bachelor's degree from non-selective public institution (M19) | employer callback rates (J68) |
| certificates from for-profit institutions (I23) | employer callback rates (J68) |
| certificates from public institutions (I23) | employer callback rates (J68) |
| external quality indicator (such as occupational license) (J44) | employer callback rates (J68) |