In Simple Words
Think of a target shooter. Counting total bullets fired does not reflect skill, whereas measuring how many shots hit the bullseye reveals true shooting accuracy.
Observed permanent vacancies with the agency
- No proactive agency outreach
- Reference counselor-match success
- Proactive agency outreach
- More successful counselor matches
Observed posted-vacancy comparison, adjusted for measured differences. Eight-week window; selection may remain. This is not a randomized screening-only effect.
See source →Research question
Measuring recruitment assistance by raw applicant volume masks whether agency matches successfully result in actual job placements for participating employers.
Participants
N = 1,705 permanent contract vacancies posted with the Public Employment Service in France.
Study Design
Non-experimental Inverse Probability Weighted (IPW) regression evaluating applicant conversion to hires over an 8-week window post-posting.
Results
Vacancies posted by treatment firms were significantly more likely to be filled by counselor-made matches over an 8-week period, demonstrating that caseworker pre-selection increased candidate placement efficiency despite sending fewer overall applicants.
Takeaway
Evaluate recruitment agency performance based on the 8-week match conversion rate rather than total candidate referral volume.