Lukas Hensel
@lukashenselecon.bsky.social
Assistant Professor in Economics at Guanghua School of Management, Peking University. He/him.
2. Pay information does not increase sorting by skills as high wage salaries do not receive higher-quality applicants. So firms’ worries about under-qualified applicants do not bear out. However, there is also no positive assortative matching of applicants and vacancies.
October 8, 2025 at 1:56 PM
2. Pay information does not increase sorting by skills as high wage salaries do not receive higher-quality applicants. So firms’ worries about under-qualified applicants do not bear out. However, there is also no positive assortative matching of applicants and vacancies.
1. Pay information increase the wage elasticity of application numbers. That is, relatively high-wage postings attract more applicants, while low-wage postings attract fewer. . ➡️ Job seekers use pay information to decide where to direct their applications.
October 8, 2025 at 1:56 PM
1. Pay information increase the wage elasticity of application numbers. That is, relatively high-wage postings attract more applicants, while low-wage postings attract fewer. . ➡️ Job seekers use pay information to decide where to direct their applications.
We recruit a diverse set of 314 firms with a total of 447 vacancies who agree for us to randomize whether they job adverts include salary information. We then track all applications and screen applicants before forwarding applications to our partner firms. Key findings below:
October 8, 2025 at 1:56 PM
We recruit a diverse set of 314 firms with a total of 447 vacancies who agree for us to randomize whether they job adverts include salary information. We then track all applications and screen applicants before forwarding applications to our partner firms. Key findings below:
This project was motivated by a stark fact: only !4%! of job adverts in Addis Ababa had any information about the provided pay. We ask firms why: 68% say want to avoid attracting under-qualified applicants and 41% want to negotiate salaries. Can we support this empirically?
October 8, 2025 at 1:56 PM
This project was motivated by a stark fact: only !4%! of job adverts in Addis Ababa had any information about the provided pay. We ask firms why: 68% say want to avoid attracting under-qualified applicants and 41% want to negotiate salaries. Can we support this empirically?
🚨🚨New WP Alert (tinyurl.com/4sesthst)%F0...
@marcjosefwitte.bsky.social , @balgovamaria.bsky.social , Tsegay Tekleselassie, and I have a new working paper using a field experiment to study the causal impact of pay information in job adverts on application numbers and applicant skills. A🧵
@marcjosefwitte.bsky.social , @balgovamaria.bsky.social , Tsegay Tekleselassie, and I have a new working paper using a field experiment to study the causal impact of pay information in job adverts on application numbers and applicant skills. A🧵
October 8, 2025 at 1:56 PM
🚨🚨New WP Alert (tinyurl.com/4sesthst)%F0...
@marcjosefwitte.bsky.social , @balgovamaria.bsky.social , Tsegay Tekleselassie, and I have a new working paper using a field experiment to study the causal impact of pay information in job adverts on application numbers and applicant skills. A🧵
@marcjosefwitte.bsky.social , @balgovamaria.bsky.social , Tsegay Tekleselassie, and I have a new working paper using a field experiment to study the causal impact of pay information in job adverts on application numbers and applicant skills. A🧵
Tevin Tafese now presents evidence on how Ethiopia’s industrial parks affect local labor markets. He documents a shift out of informal work and towards construction. The effect on earnings are more ambiguous. #OxCSAE2025
March 25, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Tevin Tafese now presents evidence on how Ethiopia’s industrial parks affect local labor markets. He documents a shift out of informal work and towards construction. The effect on earnings are more ambiguous. #OxCSAE2025
Next up is my co-author and friend @marcjosefwitte.bsky.social. He show that providing info about available vacancies improves outcomes, but only for relatively less educated women. #OxCSAE2025
March 25, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Next up is my co-author and friend @marcjosefwitte.bsky.social. He show that providing info about available vacancies improves outcomes, but only for relatively less educated women. #OxCSAE2025
Next up, Fadzayi Chingwere presents on how tax incentives shape charitable donation behavior in South Africa. Using administrative tax data she show that incentives really matter. #OxCSAE2025
March 25, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Next up, Fadzayi Chingwere presents on how tax incentives shape charitable donation behavior in South Africa. Using administrative tax data she show that incentives really matter. #OxCSAE2025
Now in the labor dynamics session at #OxCSAE2025, Deresse Nigussie on how universal screening of workers in industrial parks shapes turnover and earnings dynamics in Ethiopia.
March 25, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Now in the labor dynamics session at #OxCSAE2025, Deresse Nigussie on how universal screening of workers in industrial parks shapes turnover and earnings dynamics in Ethiopia.
@moritzpoll.bsky.social now shows preliminary result on whether poverty alleviation should be scaled within or across villages. He finds negative spillovers to treating more households in the same village, households tend to enter the same industry (retail) leading to more competition. #OxCSAE2025
March 24, 2025 at 3:30 PM
@moritzpoll.bsky.social now shows preliminary result on whether poverty alleviation should be scaled within or across villages. He finds negative spillovers to treating more households in the same village, households tend to enter the same industry (retail) leading to more competition. #OxCSAE2025
Next, Muhammad Haseeb presents on how competition among cash transfer payment agents mitigates corruption in Pakistan. #OxCSAE2025
March 24, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Next, Muhammad Haseeb presents on how competition among cash transfer payment agents mitigates corruption in Pakistan. #OxCSAE2025
Firms and competition session at #OxCSAE2025. First up is Stefano Caria presenting on how firms’ mental models of competition interact with their demand for manager training.
March 24, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Firms and competition session at #OxCSAE2025. First up is Stefano Caria presenting on how firms’ mental models of competition interact with their demand for manager training.
Wenzhang Zhang @oxfordcsae.bsky.social now presents on how a loosening of migration restrictions in China led to an increase in population and economic activity in medium sized cities. #OxCSAE2025
March 24, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Wenzhang Zhang @oxfordcsae.bsky.social now presents on how a loosening of migration restrictions in China led to an increase in population and economic activity in medium sized cities. #OxCSAE2025
Next up is Thomas Monnier, who presents a structural model of migration and job search in South Africa. Simulations suggest that a push in informality enforcement would not destroy jobs but reduce migration to cities. #OxCSAE2025
March 24, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Next up is Thomas Monnier, who presents a structural model of migration and job search in South Africa. Simulations suggest that a push in informality enforcement would not destroy jobs but reduce migration to cities. #OxCSAE2025
My first session at #OxCSAE2025 today is on migration. Takudzwa Mutize shows that migrants to cities are more likely to be employed and earn more than those who stayed behind.
March 24, 2025 at 9:32 AM
My first session at #OxCSAE2025 today is on migration. Takudzwa Mutize shows that migrants to cities are more likely to be employed and earn more than those who stayed behind.
Next up is Maurice Kugler who shows that the introduction of 3G internet increases competition and decreases markups. The impacts on employment businesses outcomes are less clear.
March 23, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Next up is Maurice Kugler who shows that the introduction of 3G internet increases competition and decreases markups. The impacts on employment businesses outcomes are less clear.
Next up is Justice Tei Mensah who studies on the effect of accessing public procurement on firm outcomes (e.g. productivity and employment). #OxCSAE2025
March 23, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Next up is Justice Tei Mensah who studies on the effect of accessing public procurement on firm outcomes (e.g. productivity and employment). #OxCSAE2025
My next session starts with @emmariley.bsky.social presenting on how to empower women by nudging them to use mobile money to repay loans. #OxCSAE2025
March 23, 2025 at 2:18 PM
My next session starts with @emmariley.bsky.social presenting on how to empower women by nudging them to use mobile money to repay loans. #OxCSAE2025
Next, Yannick Markhof presents on measurement error in list experiments and randomized response techniques. While the levels increase relative to direct questions, accuracy does not! Do we have to rethink the use of these methods? #OxCSAE2025
March 23, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Next, Yannick Markhof presents on measurement error in list experiments and randomized response techniques. While the levels increase relative to direct questions, accuracy does not! Do we have to rethink the use of these methods? #OxCSAE2025
Next up is Eze Osuagwu who presents on the Igbo apprenticeship system in Nigeria (with close personal mentoring and initial capital investment at the end). He finds that entrepreneurs who passed through the system tend to be more successful than those who did not. #OxCSAE2025
March 23, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Next up is Eze Osuagwu who presents on the Igbo apprenticeship system in Nigeria (with close personal mentoring and initial capital investment at the end). He finds that entrepreneurs who passed through the system tend to be more successful than those who did not. #OxCSAE2025
The second paper in my session by @tyentzen.bsky.social et al. studies how people trade-off between church membership and religiously forbidden economic activity (eg tobacco). When crop prices are higher, fewer people join the church! Churches also become less strict in their messaging. #OxCSAE2025
March 23, 2025 at 11:49 AM
The second paper in my session by @tyentzen.bsky.social et al. studies how people trade-off between church membership and religiously forbidden economic activity (eg tobacco). When crop prices are higher, fewer people join the church! Churches also become less strict in their messaging. #OxCSAE2025
My session start at 11am and has three more interesting papers by @tyentzen.bsky.social, Eze Osuagwu, and Yannick Markhof. Come and join us if you’re at #OxCSAE2025.
March 23, 2025 at 9:45 AM
My session start at 11am and has three more interesting papers by @tyentzen.bsky.social, Eze Osuagwu, and Yannick Markhof. Come and join us if you’re at #OxCSAE2025.
Treatment increases earnings by 25% and a job quality index by 0.09 sd but has no significant effect on the employment margin. This is consistent with a model of increased match quality leading to better labor market outcomes. 8/10
October 23, 2023 at 3:09 PM
Treatment increases earnings by 25% and a job quality index by 0.09 sd but has no significant effect on the employment margin. This is consistent with a model of increased match quality leading to better labor market outcomes. 8/10
Treated jobseekers redirect their search effort toward jobs that match their comparative advantage by 0.27sd on an index of 4 independent measures of search direction (cols 9 and 10). These effects are driven by individuals with misaligned beliefs about their CA at baseline. 5/10
October 23, 2023 at 3:08 PM
Treated jobseekers redirect their search effort toward jobs that match their comparative advantage by 0.27sd on an index of 4 independent measures of search direction (cols 9 and 10). These effects are driven by individuals with misaligned beliefs about their CA at baseline. 5/10
We experimentally provide information about their skills in two experiments by telling treated jobseekers their rank in each skill assessment. In experiment 1, treated jobseekers are 29% more likely to have aligned beliefs about their comparative advantage. 4/10
October 23, 2023 at 3:07 PM
We experimentally provide information about their skills in two experiments by telling treated jobseekers their rank in each skill assessment. In experiment 1, treated jobseekers are 29% more likely to have aligned beliefs about their comparative advantage. 4/10