Motivating job seekers. A field experiment
Journal of Public Economics · 2026 · Bart L. W. Cockx、Johan Egebark、Greet Van Hoye、Emilie Videnord、Johan Vikström
中文摘要
失业期间动机的减退可能导致找到工作的比率下降。我们报告一项低成本数字化干预的研究结果,该干预通过激励性电子邮件来提升求职者的搜寻努力。我们利用一项涵盖瑞典200,720名新近失业求职者的随机对照试验,评估了两类信息:旨在鼓励内在动机的支持性信息,以及侧重于内部与外部压力的控制性信息。这些信息提高了对强制性活动报告的遵从度,表明存在明显的一阶段行为反应。然而,这种行为变化并未转化为更有效的求职,因为两类邮件均导致搜寻努力和找到工作的结果出现中等幅度但统计显著的下降。支持性信息减少了求职申请数量,并对找到工作表现出弱负向效应,在男性中尤为明显。对于在失业开始时自述具有较强自主动机的求职者,控制性信息产生了轻微的反效果。这些发现凸显了激励求职者积极求职所面临的挑战,并表明低成本数字化干预若单独实施并不足够,甚至可能适得其反。
Abstract
Reduced motivation over the unemployment spell may contribute to declining job-finding rates. We report findings from a low-cost digital intervention that uses motivational emails to enhance job seekers’ search effort. Using a randomized controlled trial that included 200,720 newly unemployed job seekers in Sweden, we evaluate both supportive messages aimed at encouraging inner motivation, and controlling messages focused on internal and external pressure. The messages increased compliance with mandatory activity reporting, indicating a clear first-stage behavioral response. However, this behavioral change did not translate in more effective job search as both types of emails caused a moderate but significant reduction in search effort and job finding. The supportive messages reduced the number of job applications and showed weakly negative job-finding effects, particularly among men. The controlling messages slightly backfired for job seekers who report strong autonomous motivation at the onset of unemployment. These findings underscore the challenges of motivating job seekers to actively search for jobs and suggest that low-cost digital interventions, in isolation, are inadequate and may even be counterproductive.