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Factors Determining Callbacks to Job Applications by the Unemployed: An Audit Study

Author

Listed:
  • Henry S. Farber

    (Princeton University)

  • Dan Silverman

    (Arizona State University)

  • Till von Wachter

    (University of California Los Angeles)

Abstract

We use an audit study approach to investigate how unemployment duration, age, and holding a low-level "interim" job affect the likelihood that experienced college- educated females applying for an administrative support job receive a callback from a potential employer. First, the results show no relationship between callback rates and the duration of unemployment. Second, workers age 50 and older are significantly less likely to receive a callback. Third, taking an interim job significantly reduces the likelihood of receiving a callback. Finally, employers who have higher callback rates respond less to observable differences across workers in determining whom to call back. We interpret these results in the context of a model of employer learning about applicant quality.

Suggested Citation

  • Henry S. Farber & Dan Silverman & Till von Wachter, 2015. "Factors Determining Callbacks to Job Applications by the Unemployed: An Audit Study," Working Papers 592, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section..
    • Handle: RePEc:pri:indrel:592
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    Cited by:

    1. Abraham, Katharine G. & Haltiwanger, John C. & Sandusky, L. Kristin & Spletzer, James R., 2016. "The Consequences of Long Term Unemployment: Evidence from Matched Employer-Employee Data," IZA Discussion Papers 10223, IZA Network @ LISER.
    2. Henry S. Farber & Dan Silverman & Till von Wachter, 2016. "Determinants of Callbacks to Job Applications: An Audit Study," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 106(5), pages 314-318, May.
    3. Johannes F. Schmieder & Till von Wachter & Stefan Bender, 2016. "The Effect of Unemployment Benefits and Nonemployment Durations on Wages," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 106(3), pages 739-777, March.
    4. Hie Joo Ahn, 2016. "The Role of Observed and Unobserved Heterogeneity in the Duration of Unemployment Spells," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2016-063r1, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.), revised 25 Mar 2022.
    5. Jesse Rothstein & Till von Wachter, 2016. "Social Experiments in the Labor Market," NBER Working Papers 22585, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Nüß, Patrick, 2017. "Duration Dependence as an Unemployment Stigma: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Germany," GLO Discussion Paper Series 88, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    7. Fernando Martins & Domingos Seward, 2019. "Into the heterogeneities in the Portuguese labour market: an empirical assessment," Working Papers w201908, Banco de Portugal, Economics and Research Department.
    8. Stephen R. G. Jones & W. Craig Riddell, 2019. "Unemployment, Marginal Attachment, and Labor Force Participation in Canada and the United States," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 37(S2), pages 399-441.
    9. Lulu P. Shi & Christian Imdorf & Robin Samuel & Stefan Sacchi, 2018. "How unemployment scarring affects skilled young workers: evidence from a factorial survey of Swiss recruiters," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 52(1), pages 1-15, December.
    10. David Neumark & Ian Burn & Patrick Button & Nanneh Chehras, 2016. "Do State Laws Protecting Older Workers from Discrimination Reduce Age Discrimination in Hiring? Experimental (and Nonexperimental) Evidence," Working Papers wp349, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center.
    11. Sourav Sinha, 2022. "US Salary History Bans -- Strategic Disclosure by Job Applicants and the Gender Pay Gap," Papers 2202.03602, arXiv.org.
    12. Katharine G. Abraham & Melissa S. Kearney, 2020. "Explaining the Decline in the US Employment-to-Population Ratio: A Review of the Evidence," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 58(3), pages 585-643, September.
    13. Kevin Fawcett & Shouyong Shi, 2018. "Learning, On-the-Job Search and Wage-Tenure Contracts," Working Papers tecipa-597, University of Toronto, Department of Economics.
    14. Gerhard Krug & Katrin Drasch & Monika Jungbauer-Gans, 2019. "The social stigma of unemployment: consequences of stigma consciousness on job search attitudes, behaviour and success," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 53(1), pages 1-27, December.
    15. Boyd-Swan, Casey & Herbst, Chris M., 2018. "The demand for teacher characteristics in the market for child care: Evidence from a field experiment," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 183-202.
    16. Boyd-Swan, Casey & Herbst, Chris M., 2017. "The Demand for Teacher Characteristics in the Market for Child Care: Evidence from a Field Experiment," IZA Discussion Papers 10702, IZA Network @ LISER.
    17. Kory Kroft & Fabian Lange & Matthew J. Notowidigdo & Matthew Tudball, 2019. "Long Time Out: Unemployment and Joblessness in Canada and the United States," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 37(S2), pages 355-397.
    18. Boyd-Swan, Casey & Herbst, Chris M., 2017. "Racial and Ethnic Discrimination in the Labor Market for Child Care Teachers," IZA Discussion Papers 11140, IZA Network @ LISER.
    19. Katharine G. Abraham & John Haltiwanger & Kristin Sandusky & James R. Spletzer, 2019. "The Consequences of Long-Term Unemployment: Evidence from Linked Survey and Administrative Data," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 72(2), pages 266-299, March.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J60 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - General
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion

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