WIFO Working Papers

Discussion papers by WIFO staff, consultants and guests – As of 2006 available online only – Free download

WIFO Working Papers are not peer reviewed and are not necessarily based on a coordinated position of WIFO. The authors were informed about the Guidelines for Good Scientific Practice of the Austrian Agency for Research Integrity (ÖAWI), in particular with regard to the documentation of all elements necessary for the replicability of the results.

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More Caseworkers Shorten Unemployment Durations and Save Costs. Results from a Field Experiment in an Austrian Public Employment Office
WIFO Working Papers, 2022, (647), 31 pages
Online since: 22.06.2022 0:00
In a randomised controlled trial in Austria, lower caseloads in public employment offices led to more meetings of the unemployed with their caseworkers, more job offers, more program assignments, and more sanctions for noncompliance with job search requirements. More intensive counselling led to shorter unemployment episodes due to faster job entry, but also to more exits from the labour force in the two years following treatment. We find effects for different subgroups of unemployed. We find no effects on wages. A cost-benefit analysis suggests that lower caseloads not only shorten the duration of unemployment but are also cost-effective.
JEL-Codes:J64, J68
Keywords:Active Labour Market Policy, Public Employment Services, Caseworkers, Counseling, Job Placement, Field Experiment
Research group:Labour Economics, Income and Social Security
Language:English