The Experimental Approach to Studying Employers' Hiring Behavior
Title
The Experimental Approach to Studying Employers' Hiring Behavior
Author
Gërxhani, Klarita
Research Area
Methods of Research
Topic
Research Methods — Quantitative
Abstract
This essay advocates the use of experimental methods to study labor demand. Experimentation contributes to a better understanding of employers' hiring behavior by establishing what is cause and what is effect in observed behavior and allows for a better grip on the mechanisms underlying the hiring process. Given the difficulties in obtaining information from employers, experiments offer a fruitful alternative route to collecting information about the hiring process. The limited existing research provides a basis for new and promising steps into the future. To address research questions related to employers' hiring behavior, I propose combining experimental methods; implementing cross‐country experimental designs; conducting experiments on online labor markets; and using experimental control to explore the interaction between social context and biological factors. Setting these steps will give employers' decisions the attention they deserve when it comes to the important role that hiring plays in generating labor market (in)equalities.