The Demand for Interns

We describe the demand for interns in the U.S. using ads from an internship-specific web -site. We find that internships are more likely to be paid when more closely associated with a specific occupation, when the local labor market has lower unemployment, and when the local and federal minimum wage are the same. A resume audit study with about 11,0 0 0 applications reveals that employers are more likely to respond positively when internship applicants have previous internship experience. Particularly for unpaid internships, em-ployers are also less likely to respond to applicants with black-sounding names and when the applicant is more distant from the firm. (c) 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.