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The Demand for Interns

Author

Listed:
  • David A. Jaeger
  • John M. Nunley
  • Alan Seals
  • Eric J. Wilbrandt

Abstract

We describe the demand for interns in the U.S. using ads from an internship-specific website. We find that internships are more likely to be paid when more closely associated with a specific occupation, when the local labor market has lower unemployment, and when the local and federal minimum wage are the same. A résumé audit study with more than 11,500 applications reveals that employers are more likely to respond positively when internship applicants have previous internship experience. Employers are also less likely to respond to applicants with black-sounding names and when the applicant is more distant from the firm.

Suggested Citation

  • David A. Jaeger & John M. Nunley & Alan Seals & Eric J. Wilbrandt, 2020. "The Demand for Interns," NBER Working Papers 26729, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:26729
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nunley, John M. & Pugh, Adam & Romero, Nicholas & Seals, R. Alan, 2016. "College major, internship experience, and employment opportunities: Estimates from a résumé audit," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 37-46.
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    11. Jaeger, David A. & Nunley, John M. & Seals, R. Alan & Shandra, Carrie L. & Wilbrandt, Eric J., 2023. "The demand for interns," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 209(C), pages 372-390.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Sharon Braun & Jonathan Bushnell & Zachary Cowell & David Dowling Samuel Goldstein & Andrew Johnson & George Miller & John M. Nunley & R. Alan Seals & Mingzhou Wang, 2026. "Hiring Discrimination and the Task Content of Jobs: Evidence from a Large-Scale Resume Audit," Papers 2604.01933, arXiv.org, revised Jul 2026.
    2. repec:osf:socarx:5ctms_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Melo, Vitor & Rocha, Hugo Vaca Pereira & Sigaud, Liam & Warren, Patrick L. & Gaddis, S. Michael, 2024. "Understanding Discrimination in College Admissions: A Field Experiment," SocArXiv 5ctms, Center for Open Science.
    4. Jaeger, David A. & Nunley, John M. & Seals, R. Alan & Shandra, Carrie L. & Wilbrandt, Eric J., 2023. "The demand for interns," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 209(C), pages 372-390.
    5. Doerrenberg, Philipp & Duncan, Denvil & Li, Danyang, 2024. "The (in)visible hand: Do workers discriminate against employers?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    6. Ian Burn & Patrick Button & Luis Felipe Munguia Corella & David Neumark, 2019. "Older Workers Need Not Apply? Ageist Language in Job Ads and Age Discrimination in Hiring," NBER Working Papers 26552, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Chatterjee, Somdeep & Dimova, Ralitza & Ojha, Shubham, 2026. "Labor market penalty for single mothers," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 247(C).
    8. Ilse Tobback & Dieter Verhaest & Stijn Baert, 2024. "Internships, Hiring Outcomes and Underlying Mechanisms: A Stated Preferences Experiment," De Economist, Springer, vol. 172(1), pages 25-48, March.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand

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