Dear colleagues, The Department of Economics cordially invites you to the WU Economics Research Seminar on Wednesday, April 9th, with Marc Witte (VU Amsterdam) on "Wage Information and Applicant Selection" Abstract: Information about offered salary is crucial for job seekers' search behavior. However, many employers do not include salary information in job adverts. We conduct a field experiment in which we randomly vary whether real job adverts include salary information. We then observe all applications and applicants' characteristics. We show that posting a wage has a significant impact on the size of the applicant pool, but it does not substantially affect its quality. We contrast these results with predictions from leading models of job search and identify several puzzles. Finally, we propose a new explanation for why firms refrain from posting wages: because bargaining offers an insurance mechanism against significant search and information frictions. Date: Wednesday, April 9th Time: 4.30 to 6 pm (CET) Location: building D4, ground floor, D4.0.144<https://campus.wu.ac.at/?q=D4.0.144> With best regards, Harald Oberhofer --- Univ.-Prof. Dr. Harald Oberhofer Department of Economics WU Vienna University of Economics and Business Phone: +43/1/31336-4984 Email: harald.oberhofer@wu.ac.at<mailto:harald.oberhofer@wu.ac.at> https://www.wu.ac.at/en/economics/people/oberhofer-h Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO) Phone: +43/1/7982601-468 Email: harald.oberhofer@wifo.ac.at<mailto:harald.oberhofer@wifo.ac.at> http://www.wifo.ac.at/harald_oberhofer