The Value of Postsecondary Credentials in the Labor Market: An Experimental Study

David James Deming, Noam Yuchtman, Amira Abulafi, Claudia D. Goldin and Lawrence Katz

Scholarly Articles from Harvard University Department of Economics

Abstract: We study employers’ perceptions of the value of postsecondary degrees using a field experiment. We randomly assign the sector and selectivity of institutions to fictitious resumes and apply to real vacancy postings for business and health jobs on a large online job board. We find that a business bachelor’s degree from a for-profit “online†institution is 22 percent less likely to receive a callback than one from a non-selective public institution. In applications to health jobs, we find that for-profit credentials receive fewer callbacks unless the job requires an external quality indicator such as an occupational license.

Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (87)

Published in American Economic Review

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Related works:
Journal Article: The Value of Postsecondary Credentials in the Labor Market: An Experimental Study (2016)
Working Paper: The value of postsecondary credentials in the labor market: an experimental study (2016)
Working Paper: The Value of Postsecondary Credentials in the Labor Market: An Experimental Study (2014)
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