Applying Behavioral Insights to Inform Job Search: Evaluating Effects of a Behaviorally Informed Intervention on Job Search Online in West Michigan
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About the Study
In 2017, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) funded contractor Mathematica and its partners, American Institutes for Research, the Urban Institute, the W.E. Upjohn Institute, and ideas42, to assist with CEO’s Behavioral Interventions (BI) work, including developing rigorous impact evaluation design options for studying innovative program improvement strategies. In 2019, in partnership with the Employment and Training Administration (ETA), the BI team began investigating behavioral barriers to successful online job search. The BI team partnered with West Michigan Works! (WMW), a local workforce agency, to conduct the study “Applying Behavioral Insights to Inform Job Search: Evaluating Effects of a Behaviorally Informed Intervention on Job Search Online in West Michigan” from August 7, 2021 to March 3, 2022.
This Department of Labor-funded study was a result of the learning agenda process. It contributes to the labor evidence-base to inform the use of Behavioral Interventions in Labor programs and policies and addresses Departmental strategic goals and priorities.
The randomized controlled trial aimed to answer:
- How might applying insights from behavioral science lead people to expand their job search?
- Does providing job seekers with salient information about job postings lead them to engage with a larger number of postings or wider range of industries?
- What were the key features of the context in which this intervention was implemented?
- How did website visitors interact with the new web page? What were their perceptions about benefits and drawbacks of the new design features?
The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy and CEO’s research development process.