The Demand for Interns

29 Pages Posted: 7 Mar 2022

See all articles by David A. Jaeger

David A. Jaeger

University of St. Andrews - School of Economics and Finance; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); IZA Institute of Labor Economics; CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute); University College London - CReAM - Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration

John M. Nunley

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

Alan Seals

Auburn University - Department of Economics

Eric Wilbrandt

Independent

Multiple version iconThere are 3 versions of this paper

Abstract

We describe the demand for interns in the U.S. using ads from an internship-specific website. We find that internships are more likely to be paid when more closely associated with a specific occupation, when the local labor market has lower unemployment, and when the local and federal minimum wage are the same. A résumé audit study with more than 11,500 applications reveals that employers are more likely to respond positively when internship applicants have previous internship experience. Particularly for unpaid internships, employers are also less likely to respond to applicants with black-sounding names and when the applicant is more distant from the firm.

Keywords: Internships, Unemployment, Audit Study, Transition to Work

Suggested Citation

Jaeger, David A. and Nunley, John M. and Seals, Richard A and Wilbrandt, Eric, The Demand for Interns. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4051297 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4051297

David A. Jaeger (Contact Author)

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John M. Nunley

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse ( email )

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Richard A Seals

Auburn University - Department of Economics ( email )

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Eric Wilbrandt

Independent ( email )

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