Publication: The Gendered Impact of Digital Jobs Platforms: Experimental Evidence from Mozambique
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Date
2025-02-12
ISSN
0258-6770
Published
2025-02-12
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Abstract
This study examines the impact of digital labor-market platforms on job outcomes using a randomized encouragement design embedded in a longitudinal survey of Mozambican technical-vocational college graduates. We differentiate between platforms targeting formal jobs, where jobseekers direct their search, and informal tasks, where clients seek workers. Our analysis reveals statistically insignificant intent-to-treat and complier average treatment effects for headline employment outcomes in the full sample. Notably, while the average male moderately benefits from platform usage, women do not. Instead, they are less responsive to the encouragement nudge, and female treatment compliers report higher reservation wages and lower job searches. This suggests digital platforms can inadvertently perpetuate gender disparities in labor markets.
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“Jones, Sam; Sen, Kunal. 2025. The Gendered Impact of Digital Jobs Platforms: Experimental Evidence from Mozambique. World Bank Economic Review. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/42803 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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World Bank Economic Review
1564-698X
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