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The Selection Effects of Part-Time Work: Experimental Evidence from a Large-Scale Recruitment Drive

Hyuncheol Bryant Kim¹; Hyunseob Kim²; John Y. Zhu³

¹ Department of Economics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine [email protected] · ² Economic Research Department, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago [email protected] · ³ Department of Economics, University of Kansas [email protected]

Abstract We implement a field experiment to examine how part-time work attracts applicants with different productivity than full-time work. In a large-scale recruitment drive for a data-entry position in Ethiopia, either a part-time or full-time job opportunity was randomly offered. We find that part-time work attracts less qualified applicants with lower productivity but stronger preferences for short work hours. Our estimates show this selection effect may explain about half of the typical part-time wage penalty, which is about 25%. A simple model demonstrates how lack of high-quality workers with strong preference for short work hours could explain the experimental findings.

DOI

10.1162/rest_a_01587

Pages

1-46

Language

en

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