What is it about?
This study investigates how employers in the Czech Republic evaluate jobseekers who have participated in active labour market programmes. It uses a factorial survey experiment with employers to test whether participation in training, subsidised jobs or public works affects hiring decisions. The study also examines how employers respond to other characteristics of jobseekers, such as age, gender, health, unemployment history, family situation and indebtedness.
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Why is it important?
Active labour market policies are usually evaluated from the supply side: whether participants later find jobs. This study adds the demand side by asking how employers themselves interpret participation in activation programmes during recruitment. The findings show that these programmes can operate as signals to employers, but their value depends on the type of job. Training and subsidised jobs tend to improve perceived employability, while public works may be interpreted differently depending on the position.
Perspectives
The article was written to bring employers more directly into the evaluation of activation policies. If activation programmes are meant to improve jobseekers’ labour-market chances, it is important to understand not only what participants gain, but also how employers read these experiences during hiring. The study shows that activation measures can function as recruitment signals, but their meaning is context-dependent.
Jiří Vyhlídal
Research Institute for Labour and Social Affairs
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Employers, recruitment and activation programmes experimental evidence from the Czech labour market, European Journal of Training and Development, February 2024, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/ejtd-09-2023-0139.
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