Informing Employees in Small and Medium Sized Firms about Training: Results of a Randomized Field Experiment

Gerard van den Berg, Christine Dauth (), Pia Homrighausen () and Gesine Stephan
Additional contact information
Christine Dauth: Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nuremberg
Pia Homrighausen: Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF)

No 11963, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We analyze a German labor market program that subsidizes skill-upgrading occupational training for workers employed in small and medium sized enterprises. This WeGebAU program reimburses training costs but take-up has been low. In an experimental setup, we mailed 10,000 brochures to potentially eligible workers, informing them about the importance of skill-upgrading occupational training in general and about WeGebAU in particular. Using combined survey and register data, we analyze the impact of receiving the brochure on workers' awareness of the program, on take-up of WeGebAU and other training, and on job characteristics. The survey data reveal that the brochure more than doubled workers' awareness of the program. We do not find effects on WeGebAU program take-up or short-run labor market outcomes in the register data. However, the information treatment positively affected participation in other (unsubsidized) training among employees under 45 years.

Keywords: information treatment; wages; skills; employment; randomized controlled trial (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J24 J65 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 32 pages
Date: 2018-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eur, nep-exp, nep-hrm, nep-lma and nep-sbm
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Published - revised version published in: Economic Inquiry, 2023, 61, 162-178.

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Related works:
Journal Article: Informing employees in small and medium‐sized firms about training: Results of a randomized field experiment (2023)
Working Paper: Informing employees in small and medium sized firms about training: results of a randomized field experiment (2020)
Working Paper: Informing employees in small and medium sized firms about training: results of a randomized field experiment (2020)
Working Paper: Informing employees in small and medium sized firms about training: results of a randomized field experiment (2019)
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