- Asian Development Bank
- Dr. Norihiko Matsuda
- Ryotaro Hayashi
- H. M. Masudur Rahman
- Md. Bulbul Islam
- Syed Riaz Mahmud
- Md Hafiz Sikder
This project aims to assess the satisfaction levels of employers and job seekers who participated in virtual job fairs organized by BDJobs.com. The survey is conducted by MOMODa FOUNDATION, a non-profit organization that promotes digital skills and employment opportunities in Bangladesh.
The project is led by Dr. Norihiko Matsuda, Assistant Professor at Florida International University (FIU), USA, and Mr. Ryotaro Hayashi, Social Sector Economist at the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The project will provide insights into the effectiveness and challenges of virtual job fairs as a tool for matching employers and job seekers in Bangladesh. The project will also generate recommendations for improving the design and delivery of virtual job fairs in the future.
Virtual job fairs can offer several economic and social benefits, especially during this Covid-19 pandemic time. However, they are rarely conducted in Bangladesh and other developing countries, and their effectiveness is unknown. Therefore, this study aims to rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of virtual job fairs in Bangladesh by conducting a randomized control trial (RCT). The RCT is a joint initiative between the Asian Development Bank, a Bangladesh online job platform, Bdjobs.com, and a research team at Florida International University. Moreover, this study aims to evaluate the impacts of a job preference signaling mechanism that allows job applicants to credibly express their true interests to employers.
To conduct the surveys for this study, the ADB has chosen MOMODa FOUNDATION, which is a research-oriented development organization in Bangladesh. The MOMODa Foundation has rich experience in project implementation in collaboration with international academic and research institutions.