Determinants of the Choice of Job Search Channels by the Unemployed Using a Multivariate Probit Model

Abstract

We investigate factors affecting the job search channels (newspapers, agency, informal network, direct contact, internet) of unemployed individuals in Italy using a multivariate probit model. We separately analyse unemployed individuals who lost their job or who are entering the labour market for the first time (i.e., with or without previous job experience, respectively). We use cross-sectional microdata covering the 2014-2018 period. We do not find important differences in the determinants in common between unemployed individuals with and without previous job experience (such as, age, education, and citizenship). The main difference between the two samples is in the composition, with more young people in the latter group (mainly individuals in the school-to-work transition) than in the first one. We find that better-educated unemployed people have more of a multichannel attitude when searching for jobs than their counterparts. Moreover, for unemployed individuals with previous job experience, the characteristics of their last job play a crucial role in influencing the choice of search channel(s). For example, unemployed individuals from highskilled professions (that typically require the employment of better-educated individuals) choose the internet with a higher probability than other channels, while those from lowskilled professions and with experience in manufacturing have a higher probability of considering employment agencies than those in qualified professions in commercial activities and services. We have assumed that the unobservable factors affecting the decision process of a multichannel job search (estimated through the pairwise correlation coefficients across the residuals of the models) are represented by personality features of an individual, such as motivation, self-control, and preferences. A strong, positive, and significant correlation is found between job searching through the internet and direct contact with firms, but with some spatial differences between macro-areas of the country.

Analysis in the Influencing Factors of Climate-Responsive Behaviors of Maize Growers: Evidence from China

“…Linear models are not suitable. For such dependent variables, the Poisson distribution has been chosen [ 45 , 46 ]. …”

Determinantes de la probabilidad para acceder a un empleo en una de las ciudades con mayor desempleo de Colombia

“…Otros autores como Gürtzgen et al, (2021) en Alemania, y Roshchin et al, (2017) en Rusia, analizaron cómo la era del internet y la información digital han impactado los canales de búsqueda de empleo; ambos estudios concluyen que el internet se ha convertido en una herramienta eficiente y de creciente uso no solo de desempleados en busca de trabajo, sino también de empresas en busca de trabajadores con mejores características productivas. En Francia, las personas con mayores niveles de educación y que ya han trabajado antes, prefieren buscar empleos a través de internet (Mussida y Zanin, 2020). Pradeep y Muraleedharan (2018) encontraron que, en la industria del software en Bangalore, los métodos más comunes para encontrar empleo son los informales.…”

Determinants of the Job Search Method Among Rural Youth: The Case of Vhembe District in South Africa

“…Benefits are mainly in the form of job offers, which may vary in their typology, quantity, and quality by affecting the probability of being employed and the income earned in the next period. Costs may be of a pecuniary nature or related to time and effort (Mussida and Zanin, 2020). Job search theory, according to Holzer et al (as cited in Mussida and Zanin, 2020), suggest that unemployed people should choose their search methods by weighing the anticipated returns/benefits and costs associated with the available alternatives.…”

“…Costs may be of a pecuniary nature or related to time and effort (Mussida and Zanin, 2020). Job search theory, according to Holzer et al (as cited in Mussida and Zanin, 2020), suggest that unemployed people should choose their search methods by weighing the anticipated returns/benefits and costs associated with the available alternatives. Most benefits come in the form of work offers, which may vary in topology, quantity, and consistency, impacting the likelihood of being hired and the income earned in the next period.…”

“…Rather, non-search is the outcome of discouragement as the job search is hampered by impediments such as poverty, cost of search, long duration of unemployment, and adverse local economic conditions. Mussida and Zanin (2020) used a multivariate probit model and cross-sectional microdata to analyze the factors influencing the job search channels of unemployed individuals in Italy from 2014 to 2018. The study's findings revealed no significant changes in the variables in common across unemployed people with and without previous work experience, such as age, education, and citizenship.…”