Abstract This paper investigates the labor market consequences of incomplete information about workers’ own job searching process and best occupations fitting to them. A search and learning model is provided in order to analyze these effects. In the model, search outcomes relay information about workers’ job finding abilities and appropriate occupations suited to them, and workers use this information to infer their types. Our theory explains how search outcomes during unemployment can change the beliefs of workers about their job finding ability and consequently affect their decisions including the occupational choices. Characterization of the model results in a simple value function with reservation level of prior belief property that is similar to reservation wage property. Some interesting facts about both micro and macro data are identified and our model’s explanation of these facts is discussed. Particularly, our characterization gives rational for why workers with less experience in searching have (1) longer unemployment duration and (2) higher probability of changing occupation by reemployment, and (3) why shifts in Beveridge curve may be observed. Theory can also be used to (4) explain the discouraged worker phenomenon.

中文翻译：

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求职、职业选择和学习

摘要 本文调查了有关工人自己的求职过程和最适合他们的最佳职业的不完整信息对劳动力市场的影响。提供了一个搜索和学习模型来分析这些影响。在该模型中，搜索结果传递有关工人找工作能力和适合他们的适当职业的信息，工人使用这些信息来推断他们的类型。我们的理论解释了失业期间的搜索结果如何改变工人对其找工作能力的信念，从而影响他们的决定，包括职业选择。模型的表征产生了一个简单的价值函数，它具有类似于保留工资属性的先验信念属性的保留水平。确定了一些关于微观和宏观数据的有趣事实，并讨论了我们的模型对这些事实的解释。特别是，我们的特征给出了为什么在搜索方面经验较少的工人有（1）更长的失业持续时间和（2）通过再就业改变职业的可能性更高的原因，以及（3）为什么可以观察到贝弗里奇曲线的变化。理论也可以用来（4）解释工人的沮丧现象。