Job search and matching

Overview

How people search for and match to jobs reflects how well the labor market is functioning for both workers and employers. Frictions that inhibit effective, efficient searches and matches can lead to worse outcomes for both. New search technologies, including online platforms assisted by artificial intelligence, could improve search and matching but raise questions about their equity and effectiveness. And understanding how switching jobs and occupations affects workers’ career paths and economic trajectories is also critical to improving mobility.

Working Knowledge

Employer practices January 24, 2022

Article

New Evidence Shows Internal Labor Markets Favor Higher-Wage over Lower-Wage Workers

A recent paper from researchers at the MIT Sloan School of Management finds occupational stratification limits the benefits that internal hiring can bring to the workers who most need upward mobility.

Andrew Boardman

January 24, 2022

Job search and matching December 15, 2021

Article

If Left Unchecked, Algorithmic Decisionmaking Could Perpetuate Workplace Bias and Harms

This post highlights the challenges as well as the promise algorithms and other predictive tools hold for the workplace.

Jessica Shakesprere, Batia Katz

December 15, 2021

Skills and training February 08, 2021

Changemaker Q&A

Bridging Workforce and Economic Development: A Q&A with Nicole Sherard-Freeman

WorkRise Leadership Board Member Nicole Sherard-Freeman shares insights on how Detroit is attracting companies, creating good jobs, and building a strong talent pipeline.

Elisabeth Jacobs

February 08, 2021

Economic context December 14, 2020

Article

Meet WorkRise's Inaugural Slate of Grantees

These nine projects will build new knowledge on accelerating economic mobility and advancing equity for workers in the U.S. labor market.

Archana Pyati

December 14, 2020

Research

Job search and matching Brief August 09, 2023

Search and Matching for Jobseekers

Each month, millions of workers in the United States move into or out of jobs. For workers in low-wage employment, transitions to new, higher-paying positions are an important driver of upward economic mobility. For those out of work, regaining…

Joe Peck , William J. Congdon

WorkRise Research

August 09, 2023

Job search and matching Report July 20, 2022

Search and Matching in Modern Labor Markets: A Landscape Report

This landscape report synthesizes research on how job seekers find work and how employers post and fill open positions in the labor market. It also explores frictions experienced by both parties and implications for workers’ economic mobility.

Alexander W. Bartik, Bryan A. Stuart

WorkRise Research

July 20, 2022

Job search and matching Executive Summary January 14, 2022

Rise with the STARs

New research from WorkRise grantee Opportunity@Work demonstrates the harm and exclusion workers without four-year degrees who are “skilled through alternative routes” (STARs) experience in the labor market.

Papia Debroy, Justin Heck

Grantee Research

January 14, 2022