Roofing Jobs: How Degree Requirements Cap Access to High-Wage Employment

Skill-based hiring has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional credential requirements, yet little is known about whether it effectively expands access to high-wage employment or how it shapes the labor market behavior of both job seekers and recruiters. This study examines two understudied mechanisms: how hiring language — degree required, no degree mentioned, or skill-based hiring explicitly emphasized — shapes candidate self-selection, and how the resulting applicant pool composition influences recruiter evaluations. Using a two-stage field experiment, I randomize job postings across these three conditions to provide causal evidence on how credential vs skill-based framing affects who applies and how recruiters assess them. By independently varying job framing and applicant pool composition in the recruiter evaluation stage, the design isolates demand-side evaluation biases from supply-side sorting effects. Findings will shed light on whether skill-based signals broaden access to opportunity — particularly for women and underrepresented minorities — without compromising the quality standards employers and degree-holding candidates expect.