Ethiopia - Job Creation in Ethiopia - Impact Evaluation Survey, 2016-2020

We study the impact of a light-touch job facilitation intervention that supported young female jobseekers during the application process for factory work in a newly constructed industrial park in Ethiopia. Using data from a panel of 687 jobseekers and randomized access to the support intervention, we find that treated applicants are more likely to be employed and have higher earnings and savings 8 months after baseline, although these impacts are short-lived. Four years later, the effects on employment and income largely dissipated. Our results suggest that young women face significant barriers to engaging in factory work in the short run that a simple job facilitation intervention can help overcome. In the long term, however, these jobs do not offer a better alternative than other income-generating opportunities.