Alexandra Roulet

Title: Soft skills, unemployment and job search

Abstract: This paper investigates the role of non-cognitive skills in job search outcomes and evaluates the effectiveness of a large-scale soft skills training program in France. Drawing on a psychology-based taxonomy, we distinguish between stable non-cognitive endowments/traits (e.g. the Big Five ) and malleable, context-specific non-cognitive skills (e.g. job-search self-efficacy). Using a rich baseline survey of over 80,000 job seekers registered with the French Public Employment Service, we show that the latter are more predictive of job finding than the former. Through a randomized controlled trial (RCT), we evaluate a two weeks program focused on non-cognitive skills: we show that it did improve the relevant skills, with lasting effects in the medium run, without altering personality traits; it shifted employment toward open-ended contracts and promoted further upskilling. Effects are particularly pronounced among older job seekers, for whom the program's Marginal Value of Public Funds reaches infinity. The findings highlight the potential of targeting relevant non-cognitive skills in active labor market policy design.