Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/111288 
Year of Publication: 
2015
Series/Report no.: 
WZB Discussion Paper No. SP II 2015-205
Publisher: 
Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB), Berlin
Abstract: 
We investigate the effect of spells of no formal employment of young Germans on their chances of entering the labor market. We also study whether the potential negative effects of such spells can be mitigated by publicly provided training measures. In a field experiment, fictitious applications were sent to firms advertising an apprenticeship position for office manager. Our results show that applicants who have been out of school for two years are not less likely to be invited compared to applicants who apply during their last year of schooling. Among the two applicant types who have been out of school for two years, applicants who have taken part in a training course are significantly more likely to pass the first step in the recruitment process than those without supplementary schooling. Our findings can be explained with signaling and human capital theory while there is no evidence of stigma effects.
Subjects: 
youth unemployment
hiring decisions
apprenticeships
JEL: 
J64
C93
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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