Employers' willingness to train in developing contexts: Survey-experimental exploration in Uzbekistan and Nepal

Abstract

Employers offer training when they anticipate financial returns, but evidence from lower-income contexts remains limited. We survey employers in Uzbekistan and Nepal using vignettes that vary program characteristics, trainee profiles, and institutional factors. Uzbek employers favor short programs, while Nepali employers prioritize immediate financial returns, regardless of their magnitude. Both prefer young adult trainees and strong employer involvement in program design. These findings challenge the expectation that longer, low-wage programs are most attractive and suggest that short-term, intensive workplace learning may serve as a steppingstone to more formal training opportunities in lower-income contexts.