Do the Long-Term Unemployed Benefit from Automated Occupational Advice During Online Job Search?

The Direct and Indirect Effects of Online Job Search Advice

“…Our findings contribute to several strands of the literature. Most directly related is a nascent literature on online job search advice initiated by Belot et al (2019) and further investigated in a number of contemporaneous studies by Belot et al (2022a), Belot et al (2022b) andBen Dhia et al (2022). In line with our results for the occupational recommendations treatment, these studies show that occupational referrals lead job seekers to broaden their consideration set, and that this may have positive e↵ects on employment and earnings.…”

“…Hence, we study a setting in which 2 Specifically, Belot et al (2019) show that occupational recommendations lead unemployed workers to search for and apply to a broader set of occupations, which in turn tends to increase the number of job interviews. In subsequent studies, Belot et al (2022b) show that occupational recommendations increase the likelihood of finding stable jobs among long-term unemployed job seekers and Belot et al (2022a) provide preliminary evidence suggesting that occupational referrals may spur job finding and occupational transitions among workers who search in occupations with poor labor market prospects. Conversely, Ben Dhia et al (2022) find no employment e↵ects of an intervention that encourages job seekers to use a private online platform that provides personalized advice to job seekers.…”

Online job search discouragement: How employment platforms and digital exclusion shape the experience of low‐qualified job seekers?

“…These findings also extend previous studies of the job search process by linking these foundational aspects with some of the key characteristics of the employment platform, the social interactions taking place on these platforms, and the two types of information asymmetries we theorise. For instance, while prior research suggests that tailored training for helping job seekers to use employment platforms has limited outcomes, and does not influence well-being (e.g., Belot et al, 2022;Ben Dhia et al, 2022), we complement this finding by uncovering and empirically illustrating the negative impact on the engagement of low-qualified job seekers lacking an understanding of the platforms. Hence, our framework is useful to identify and connect key aspects of these platforms (i.e., customised application material, competitive visibility) with their implications for job seekers' engagement.…”

“…Public job training programs help learning new skills but have limited positive implications for the time spent looking for a job, the employment outcome and the well-being of the job seeker, specifically tips to improve search and recommendations of new occupations and locations (Ben Dhia et al, 2022). Nevertheless, targeted advice may have a positive impact on the reintegration of long-term unemployed job seekers into the labour market by enabling them to broaden the scope of their search (Belot et al, 2022).…”

“…Indeed, platforms carry new demands and expectations for these digitally savvy job seekers alongside several tensions, including the pressure to curate an online profile and promote oneself to gain visibility and attract recruiters (e.g., Pultz & Sharone, 2020; Sharone, 2017; Sheehan, 2022; Vallas & Cummins, 2015). These new demands and expectations have also transformed the nature of job search advice and its implications for employment outcomes (e.g., Belot et al, 2022; Ben Dhia et al, 2022).…”