Unwilling to Reskill? Experimental Evidence from Real-World Jobseekers.

The paper studies why jobseekers may be reluctant to reskill into high-demand occupations. Using a discrete choice experiment with about 1,100 unemployed jobseekers in Italy, focused on reskilling into IT assistant and construction technician roles, the authors estimate willingness to pay for reskilling and identify its main determinants. They find that participants are willing to pay to reskill into IT but require compensation to reskill into construction. Differences in beliefs about monetary returns and social status matter, but perceived identity fit with the target occupation is the most important factor shaping reskilling decisions. A light-touch information intervention about wages and job prospects increases stated interest in reskilling and actual engagement in real-world training, especially among those whose initial beliefs were too pessimistic and whose identity-fit barriers are not too high.