Bridging or Widening the Opportunity Gap? The Role of R&D Skill Signal in High-tech Job Market

• In Event: 50220 - Section on Organizations, Occupations, and Work Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 15: Workers' Skills and Earnings

Abstract

The R&D skillset is widely claimed crucial in the era of knowledge-based economy. Despite systematic, state-driven efforts to cultivate R&D skills in the new generation of workers nowadays, employers still report fewer job seekers and current employees than expected meeting their requirement in this capacity. This study offers two competing explanations for the gap between policy agenda assumptions and labor market outcomes in this issue. First, there could be a mismatch between state-led R&D training initiatives and the actual demands of industry. Second, even when R&D skillset is highly valued, other disadvantageous signals sent by job seekers may discourage employers' preferences. Both scenarios can result in a shortage of employed workers with genuine R&D expertise.
This study uses a résumé audit study in mainland China, submitting 1,925 job applications to experimentally manipulate applicants' R&D skillset alongside three key moderator variables: university selectivity, gender, and internship experience. Results show that possessing R&D skills increases the callback rate from employers in high-tech firms by 13.81%. However, the positive effect of R&D skills is particularly pronounced for graduates from elite universities and those with internships at highly recognized companies. This finding underscores the nuanced role of elite credentials: they amplify the effect of R&D skills rather than serve as standalone advantages.
While R&D skills are objective and measurable, their value appears to be moderated by employers' perceptions of the candidate’s overall and consistent background. The combination of elite credentials and productive skills tends to be more appealing to employers, leading to a higher likelihood of callbacks. In contrast, the impact of R&D skills is significantly diminished for those who hold inconsistent signals. These findings suggest that recruitment practices involve complex stratification mechanisms in the high-tech job market, which contribute to social closure by excluding applicants with genuine R&D talent but less prestigious backgrounds.

Author

• Linfeng SHEN, The Chinese University of Hong Kong