Conscientiousness and Labor Market Returns: Evidence from a Field Experiment in West Africa

Mathias Allemand (), Martina Kirchberger, Sveta Milusheva (), Carol Newman, Brent Roberts () and Vincent Thorne ()
Additional contact information
Mathias Allemand: University of Zurich
Sveta Milusheva: The World Bank
Brent Roberts: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Vincent Thorne: Trinity College Dublin

No tep0123, Economic Papers from Trinity College Dublin, Economics Department

Abstract: Non-cognitive skills are increasingly recognized as important determinants of labor market outcomes. To what extent specific skills can be affected in adulthood remains an open question. We conducted a randomized controlled trial with low-skilled employed workers in Senegal where workers were randomly assigned to receive a training intervention designed to affect conscientiousness-related skills. We found that treated workers were significantly more likely to stay in their job and have higher wages nine months after the intervention. Our findings suggest that non-cognitive skills can be affected even later in the life cycle and can have substantial labor market returns.

Keywords: non-cognitiveskills; labormarkets; conscientiousness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J24 M53 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 44 pages
Date: 2023-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-exp, nep-hrm, nep-lma and nep-neu
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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