Publication Date

12-2-2022

Series

Upjohn Institute working paper ; 22-379

DOI

10.17848/wp22-379

Abstract

We study how salary disclosures affect employer demand using a field experiment featuring hundreds of recruiters evaluating over 2,000 job applications. We randomize the presence of salary questions and the candidates’ disclosures for male and female applicants. Our findings suggest that extra dollars disclosed yield higher salary offers, willingness to pay, and perceptions of outside options by recruiters (all similarly for men and women). Recruiters make negative inferences about the quality and bargaining positions of non-disclosing candidates, though they penalize silent women less.

Issue Date

December 2022, Updated February 2024

Note

Upjohn project #58157

Subject Areas

LABOR MARKET ISSUES; Wages, health insurance and other benefits

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Citation

Agan, Amanda, Bo Cowgill, and Laura K. Gee. 2024. "Salary History and Employer Demand: Evidence from a Two-Sided Audit." Upjohn Institute Working Paper 22-379. Kalamazoo, MI: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. https://doi.org/10.17848/wp22-379