Remote Work and Unequal Access: Experimental Evidence on Digital Barriers and Information Frictions

Remote work could expand employment opportunities for workers in rural “job deserts,” where quality in-person jobs are scarce. However, gaps in digital skills and information may prevent disadvantaged workers from benefiting from remote employment. In partnership with the East Central Illinois Workforce Development agency, this pilot randomized controlled trial will test whether reducing these barriers improves labor-market outcomes for rural job seekers. 60 participants will be randomly assigned to: (i) a control group, (ii) a digital-skills mini-course (relaxing skill constraints), or (iii) the mini-course combined with a curated remote-job feed and individualized coaching (addressing both skill and information constraints). Randomization will be stratified by educational attainment to examine heterogeneity between workers with and without college degrees. Weekly and monthly surveys linked to administrative records will measure employment, remote work, jobsearch activity, wages, job retention, and job satisfaction. Job-posting data will also be used to characterize remote opportunities by educational requirements. The pilot will assess feasibility and take-up, generate preliminary e ect-size estimates, inform a fully powered trial, and provide early evidence on whether, and for whom, digital skills and information interventions impact access to remote work.