Overview

Report title: Bringing CBT to the Workplace​

Source: The Decision Lab ​

Year published: 2022

Sources
Categories
Establishment & Growth
Maturity & Transition
Context
  • Many employment programs assume jobseekers lack motivation or skills, but behavioural barriers—like low confidence, unclear goals, and social comparison—often drive disengagement​
  • Standard job-matching services overlook how cognitive overload, poor framing, or limited feedback loops affect uptake and persistence in job-seeking behaviors​
  • Youth and low-income groups are more affected—struggling to stay engaged or see their potential
Outcomes
  • In Japan, the HIKAI program—designed using behavioural insights—improved job-seeking motivation and outcomes by simplifying job options, offering peer benchmarks, and using future-self prompts​
  • Participants who received HIKAI-style interventions were 4 times more likely to apply for jobs and 2.5 times more likely to find employment​
  • Young jobseekers exposed to positive peer stories and simplified action plans reported higher self-efficacy scores and stronger commitment to weekly job goals
Implications
  • Employment services should integrate behavioural tools like peer comparisons, goal visualization, and simplified job steps—into jobseeker engagement strategies​
  • Design digital platforms to reduce friction in application processes and nudge consistent job-seeking through personalized reminders and commitments​
  • Equip frontline employment staff with behavioural playbooks to support motivational interviewing, reframe failure, and help envision longer-term goals
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