%0 Report
        %A Koning, Bart K. de
%A Muller, Paul
%A Belot, Michèle
%A Engels, Yvonne
%A Fouarge, Didier
%A Keer, Mario
%A Kircher, Philipp
%A Phlippen, Sandra
        %T Online Buddies for Job Seekers: A Field Experiment
        %D 2026
        %8 2026 Mar
        %I Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        %C Bonn
        %7 IZA Discussion Paper
        %N 18437
        %U https://www.iza.org/publications/dp18437
        %X We design an online platform to connect unemployed job seekers with `buddies': former job seekers who recently found employment. We focus on job seekers who search in occupations with poor prospects and buddies who successfully switched occupations. In a randomized controlled trial, we evaluate the impact of access to the platform on labor market outcomes. We find sizable effects. Thirteen to 18 months after getting access, initially unemployed job seekers are 6 percentage points (11%) more likely to be employed and earn 226 Euro more per month than those without access. The positive impact is concentrated among the long-term unemployed.
        %K job search
%K occupational mobility
%K randomized experiment
%K role models