Path2Work

Even years after arrival in the host country, refugees tend to perform worse in the labor market compared to non-refugee immigrants and native citizens with similar skills. In this project, we develop the online job platform Path2Work to better understand the reasons for the refugee-citizen employment gap and to gauge the potential of online platforms to reduce hurdles and facilitate refugees’ economic integration. We field two large-scale randomized controlled experiments on the platform — one targeting job seekers and one targeting potential employers. The first experiment invites more than 65’000 refugees to register on the platform, which offers skill-based occupation recommendations and application guidance. The aim of the first experiment is to overcome hurdles faced by refugees in the job search process and to evaluate the overall efficacy of the platform in increasing employment outcomes. The second experiment sends targeted candidate suggestions and/or instructions for the work registration process to employers posting relevant vacancies. The purpose of the second experiment is to learn about and address hurdles in refugee hiring on the employer side.