Doctoral Dissertation Research in Economics and Public Policy: Employer Preference for Applicants based on Geographic Location - A Resume Audit

摘要美国劳动力市场的失业率和劳动收入存在显著且持续的异质性，这是造成整体经济不平等的原因之一。1990年代以来的事态发展表明，尽管通过网站发布的工作公告扩大了工人原籍地以外的就业机会，并提高了他们对就业机会的认识，但移徙现象有所减少。这个项目通过探索本地和非本地求职者获得工作机会的途径来探索在线招聘的地理方面。这项研究通过考虑应聘者住得离工作地点近还是更远来调查雇主对求职者的偏好。该项目进行了一项通信实验，将不同地理位置的虚构求职者的简历随机分配给正在积极寻找员工的雇主。该项目通过考虑应聘者到工作地点的距离来检查雇主回调率，以了解雇主对雇员原籍地的不同偏好。该项目进一步构建了一个描述性的数学理论来解释为什么雇主可能更喜欢本地工人而不是非本地工人。当地劳动力市场低迷的居民往往会因为留在这些地区而产生福利成本，而有利于预期收入增长的移民可能会成为跨地区均等化的重要机制。这项研究项目调查了劳动力市场机会与求职者地理来源的关系。该项目采用简历审计研究，通过随机将虚构的申请者分配到职位发布中，通过反映不同的居住地、教育水平和申请者的性别来了解雇主的招聘偏好与空间因素的关系。该项目开发了一个理论模型，使雇主为什么进行基于地点的歧视和偏爱当地申请者的潜在机制合理化。通过将这些机制嵌入简历审计研究设计中，该项目探索了申请者地点对雇主招聘偏好的不同影响。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

AbstractThere is significant and persistent heterogeneity in unemployment rates and labor earnings across labor markets in the US, contributing to overall economic inequality. Developments since the 1990s indicate that migration has declined even as job postings through websites expanded access to and awareness of employment opportunities beyond a worker’s location of origin. This project explores the geographic aspects of online job postings by exploring access to job opportunities for job seekers who are local and non-local. The research investigates employer preference for job applicants by considering whether applicants reside close by the job site or farther away. The project conducts a correspondence experiment that randomly assigns the resumes of fictitious candidates with different geographical locations to employers who are actively seeking employees. The project examines employer callback rates by considering the distance of candidates from job locations to understand differential employer preference for employees’ location of origin. The project further constructs a descriptive and mathematical theory for why employers may prefer local workers over non-local workers.Residents of depressed local labor markets often incur welfare costs associated with remaining in these areas, and migration in favor of expected income gains may serve as an important mechanism for equalization across regions. This research project investigates labor market opportunities in relation to the geographic origin of job applicants. The project employs a resume audit study to understand employers’ hiring preferences in relation to spatial factors by randomly assigning fictitious applicants to job postings, by reflecting varying locations of residence, level of education, and gender of applicants. The project develops a theoretical model that rationalizes potential mechanisms for why employers engage in place-based discrimination and prefer local applicants. By embedding these mechanisms in the resume audit research design, the project explores heterogeneous effects of applicant location on employer hiring preferences.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.