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The role of AI use and AI training in school-to-work transitions

Author

Listed:
  • Roman Theiler
  • Patricia Palffy
  • Uschi Backes-Gellner

Abstract

This paper examines how signaling AI use and systematic AI training in job vacancy postings affect adolescents' application intentions at the school-to-work transition. We implement a randomized survey experiment with 3,347 users of a large Swiss apprenticeship platform, varying the workplace information in vacancies for three middle-skilled occupations selected to vary systematically in gender composition: IT support (male-dominated), medical assistance (female-dominated), and office administration (gender-balanced). Vacancies mention established work practices (baseline), emphasize AI use, or combine AI use with systematic AI training. Emphasizing AI use reduces application intentions only in IT support and medical assistance. Systematic AI training fully offsets this negative effect in IT support, does so partially in medical assistance, but produces no detectable effect in office administration. The effect of signaling AI use and the compensatory role of AI training thus depend on the occupation's gender composition. Findings indicate that information on AI use and AI training is a firm-level policy lever shaping labor supply at market entry.

Suggested Citation

  • Roman Theiler & Patricia Palffy & Uschi Backes-Gellner, 2026. "The role of AI use and AI training in school-to-work transitions," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0256, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW).
    • Handle: RePEc:iso:educat:0256
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • M53 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Training
    • M12 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Personnel Management; Executives; Executive Compensation
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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