DP15420 Gig-jobs: stepping stones or dead ends?

Author(s):	Adrian Adermon, Lena Hensvik
Publication Date:	November 2020
Keyword(s):	correspondence study, discrimination, Gig-jobs
JEL(s):	J23, J71
Programme Areas:	Labour Economics
Link to this Page:	cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=15420

How useful is work experience from the gig economy for labor market entrants searching for traditional wage jobs? We conducted a correspondence study in Sweden, comparing callback rates for recent high school graduates with (i) gig-experience, (ii) traditional experience, and (iii) unemployment history. We also study heterogeneous responses with respect to perceived foreign background. Our findings suggest that gig-experience is more valuable than unemployment, but less useful than traditional experience for majority applicants. Strikingly however, no form of labor market experience increases the callback rate for minority workers.