Marianne Bertrand

Marianne Bertrand, a labor markets expert at Chicago Booth and Co-Chair of J-PAL, joins Stefano Caria from the University of Warwick to explore effective skills signaling for job seekers in low and middle-income countries. They discuss the challenges job seekers face in proving their qualifications amid information asymmetry. The conversation reveals how standardized certifications can enhance job outcomes and the role of social networks in hiring practices. They propose solutions like wage subsidies to improve hiring efficiency and suggest scaling up skill-signaling programs to boost employment.