| 讲座简介： |
We explore how job seekers value flexible work arrangements during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, employing a two-wave discrete-choice experiment conducted on a Chinese online job board. The first wave took place from June to August 2022 during the pandemic, and the second wave from March to June 2023. In our experiment, we ask job seekers to choose between the fixed work arrangement and a flexible work arrangement with a randomly assigned wage. We observe a significant shift in individual preferences for flexible work arrangements after the pandemic. Job seekers during the pandemic generally have negative valuation of flexible work schedules or locations, which contrasts with the positive valuation of job flexibility shown in the existing literature. However, job seekers after the pandemic are willing to pay for job flexibility. We investigate the potential reasons for differing preferences in the two waves and offer suggestive evidence that some uncertainty arising from the zero-COVID policy and COVID-induced experiences with flexible work arrangements are the primary factors. |
