Impact of career education on high school students’ occupational choice: Evidence from a cluster-randomized controlled trial

What influence does career-relevant information have on occupational choices? This study analyzes changes in career preferences related to the provision of career-relevant information through a cluster-randomized controlled trial with students at a rural Japanese high school. We examined the potential effects of two types of information, including an information regarding impact of technological innovation on labor markets program (the “ICT-AI Impact on the Labor Market” program) and an information regarding how to deepen “self-understanding” (the “self-understanding” program). The results reveal that the ICT-AI Impact program did not induce statistically significant shifts in students’ occupational choices. By contrast, the self-understanding program shifted students’ occupational choices regarding professional occupations such as educational, medical, and legal professions. Our findings indicate that career-relevant information provision can be an effective policy tool in the labor market because the provision can support students’ occupational choices.