Abstract
Job seekers influence the arrival rate of job offers by the choice of search effort and the search methods they use. In this paper we empirically investigate the effect of different search methods on search outcomes. We use unique data on the search behavior of job seekers in Austria, which matches survey information with administrative records. We analyze the quality of job matches in terms of wages and job durations for employed and unemployed workers. We find that the public employment office specializes in the support of low quality workers. For them it is equally efficient as other search channels.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Addison JT, Portugal P (2002) Job search methods and outcomes. Oxford Econ Pap 54:505–533
Barron J, Mellow W (1979) Search effort in the labor market. J Hum Resour 14:389–404
Blau D, Robins P (1990) Job search outcomes for the employed and unemployed. J Politi Econ 98:637–655
Bound J, Jaeger DA, Baker RM (1995) Problems with instrumental variables estimation when the correlation between the instruments and the endogeneous variable is weak. J Am Stat Soc 90:443–450
Burdett K (1979) Search, leisure and individual labour supply. In: Lippman S, McCall JJ (eds) Studies in the economy of search. North Holland, Amsterdam, pp 157–170
Clark A (2001) Actively seeking work: job search methods of the unemployed. DEELSA/ELSA/WP5. OECD, Paris
Del Bono E, Weber A (2006) Compensating wage differentials and seasonal employment in austria: evidence from administrative data. IZA DP 2242
Ebmer R (1990) Placement service and offer arrival rates. Econ Lett 34:289–294
Eriksson T, Lilja R, Torp H (2002) Determinants of job search intensity—some evidence from the Nordic Countries. Labour Institute for Economic Research Discussion Papers, Helsinki
Fernandez R, Castilla EJ, Moore P (2000) Social capital at work: networks and employment at a phone center. Am J Sociol 105:1288–1356
Fischer G, Pichelmann K (1991) Temporary layoff unemployment in austria: empirical evidence from adiministrative data. Appl Econ 23:1447–1452
Frühstück E, Gregoritsch P, Kalmar M, Löffler R, and Wagner-Pinter M (1999) Das Arbeitsmarktservice als Informationsträger bei der Besetzung von Vakanzen 1999. AMS Wien
Gregg P, Wadsworth J (1996) How effective are state employment agencies? Jobcentre use and job matching in Britain. Oxford Bull Econ Stat 58:443–467
Holzer H (1988) Search method use by unemployed youth. J Labor Econ 6:1–20
Kahn L, Low S (1990) The demand of labor market information. South Econ J 56:1044–1058
Kuebler D (1999) Using private job agencies: optimal screening or cream skimming?. Public Choice 101:85–107
Kuhn P, Skuterud M (2004) Internet job search and unemployment durations. Am Econ Rev 94:218–232
Lindeboom M, van Ours J, Renes G (1994) Matching employers and workers: an empirical analysis on the effectiveness of search. Oxford Econ Pap 46(1):45–67
Lise J (2006) On-the-job search and precautionary savings: theory and empirics of earnings and wealth inequality. Queen’s University, mimeo
Mahringer H (2005) Essays on child care costs and mothers’ employment rates and on trends in job stability. Thesis; University of Linz
Martin JP, Grubb D (2001) What works and for whom: a review of OECD countries’ experiences with active labour market policies. Working Paper (14). IFAU
Mortensen DT (1986) Job search and labor market analysis. In: Ashenfelter O, Layard R (eds) Handbook of labor economics. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 849–919
Osberg L (1993) Fishing in different pools: job-search strategies and job-finding success in Canada in the early 1980s. J Labor Econ 11:348–386
Rees A (1966) Information networks in labor markets. Am Econ Rev 56:559–566
Roper S (1988) Recruitment methods and vacancy duration. Scot J Politi Econ 35:51–64
Stiglbauer A, Stahl F, Winter-Ebmer R, Zweimüller J (2003) Job creation and job destruction in a regulated labor market: The case of Austria. Empirica 30:127–148
Stock J, Wright J, Yogo M (2002) A survey of weak instruments and weak identification in GMM. J Bus Econ Stat 20:518–529
vanden Berg GJ, van der Klaauw B (2006) Counseling and monitoring of unemployed workers: theory and evidence from a controlled social experiment. Int Econ Rev 47:895–936
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
We are grateful to René Böheim, Helmut Hofer, Rudolf Winter-Ebmer, participants in the Second Austrian Labour Market Workshop, and the EEA2002 conference in Venice for discussion and valuable comments. Andrea Weber gratefully acknowledges financial support form the Austrian Science Foundation, Project Nr J2365-G05 and from the Center for Labor Economics at the University of California, Berkeley.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Weber, A., Mahringer, H. Choice and success of job search methods. Empir Econ 35, 153–178 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00181-007-0148-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00181-007-0148-z