The paper College Networks: The Importance of Employer Connections, co-authored by Associate Professor Pan Weixiang of the Department of Labor Economics at our School, has been accepted for publication in Journal of Labor Economics, an international Class I economics journal.
Abstract
We provide the first evidence that the employers of network contacts from college can influence job search success. In contrast to the peer effects literature that emphasizes peer characteristics, we examine how the hiring rate of in-network firms affects re-employment probabilities. To avoid endogeneity from voluntary transitions, we focus on individuals who experience mass layoffs. Using administrative data and a cross-cohort design, we find that network connections with actively hiring employers increase the re-employment rate. This result is driven by re-employment at contact's firms. These results suggest that college can improve employment outcomes beyond improved human capital and signaling.
Author Biography
Pan Weixiang is an Associate Professor at the School of Economics, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, and an Associate Editor of Economics of Education Review. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2018. His main research areas are labor economics, the economics of education, and applied microeconomics. His research findings have been published in internationally renowned academic journals such as Journal of Labor Economics, Labour Economics, and Economics of Education Review.
