TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Koning, Bart K. de
AU  - Muller, Paul
AU  - Belot, Michèle
AU  - Engels, Yvonne
AU  - Fouarge, Didier
AU  - Keer, Mario
AU  - Kircher, Philipp
AU  - Phlippen, Sandra
        TI  - Online Buddies for Job Seekers: A Field Experiment
        PY  - 2026/Mar/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 18437
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp18437
        AB  - 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.
        KW  - job search
KW  - occupational mobility
KW  - randomized experiment
KW  - role models
        ER  -