Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/325077 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 18019
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We examine how gender shapes managers' decisions regarding on-the-job training using a discrete choice experiment embedded in a representative survey of German firms. While previous research has focused on employees' demand for it, we make a contribution by studying firms' supply of training. In our vignette study, 1,144 managers evaluate hypothetical candidate profiles that differ by gender, age, competence, job mobility, and training characteristics. We find that women are somewhat more likely than men to receive training offers. The exceptions are that female managers are more reluctant to choose young women for training, while male managers favor male candidates for fully employer-funded training. These patterns persist across various model specifications and remain robust when controlling for observable manager characteristics. Heterogeneity analyses reveal that female managers are more reluctant to offer training to women when they operate in competitive product markets, male-dominated industries, and firms without collective bargaining agreements. More broadly, our results highlight that managers influence not only how much training is undertaken, but also how training opportunities are distributed among employees.
Subjects: 
human capital investment
manager decisions
gender differences
training
JEL: 
J24
J16
M53
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.