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What Drives Reskilling Decisions? Evidence from a Discrete Choice Experiment with Unemployed Jobseekers

par Dejardin, Benjamine ;Tojerow, Ilan ;Leduc, Elisabeth ;Sadun, Raffaella;Delfino, Alexia
Référence brown bag seminar(09/01/2025: ULB)
Publication Publié, 2025-01-09

Abstract de conférence

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Résumé :

Rapidly evolving labour markets have led to deteriorating employment opportunities for workers with few or obsolete skills and increasing labour and skills shortages for employers. This has resulted in a growing mismatch between available jobs and the qualifications of workers seeking employment. Reskilling the workforce has thus become an essential strategy to address these challenges. Our project investigates whether jobseekers are willing to reskill and, if so, what this decision depends on. We explore this question through a discrete choice experiment conducted with the Public Employment Service (PES) in Belgium. Using responses from Belgian jobseekers, we examine their willingness to enroll in demand-driven occupational training programs, assess their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for different training features, and compare these preferences with those for job-related characteristics. The study focuses on the importance of policy-relevant factors, as well as the working conditions in the target occupation, in explaining the decision to reskill. Additionally, we investigate whether jobseekers' willingness to reskill (and their WTP for training and job features) depends on their interest in and beliefs about the target occupation, the distance between the target occupation and previous work experience, and other personal characteristics. By linking survey data with administrative records, we relate stated preferences to actual training decisions. Preliminary results of this work will be presented.