Work

Do employers discriminate against Active Labour Market Policies participants? A field experiment on the Youth Guarantee internship in Italy

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Using a field experiment on Italy’s Youth Guarantee subsidised internships, this work investigates whether employers discriminate against candidates who participated in Active Labour Market policies at the beginning of their career. Specifically, 4,066 fictitious resumes were sent to real employers in 11 Italian cities. Each resume randomly displayed participation in the Youth Guarantee internship, a regular internship, or an unemployment gap after university graduation, followed by additional work experience. The results revealed that employers discriminate against former Youth Guarantee interns compared with those who are unemployed or regular interns. Discrimination is strongest when the resume does not show sectoral IT skills, suggesting that employers perceive the program to be detrimental to human capital accumulation and use it as a cue to statistically discriminate.

Source: European Economic Review

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2025.105190

Author: Arianna Gatta

Institution: The University of Queensland

Language: English

Topic: Names, Identity, and Discrimination Research

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Reduced inequalities, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,690