The DOI matches its Crossref record; 65 of the 65 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Recessions and the Costs of Job Loss
Open accessAbstract
We develop new evidence on the cumulative earnings losses associated with job displacement, drawing on longitudinal Social Security records from 1974 to 2008. In present-value terms, men lose an average of 1.4 years of predisplacement earnings if displaced in mass-layoff events that occur when the national unemployment rate is below 6 percent. They lose a staggering 2.8 years of predisplacement earnings if displaced when the unemployment rate exceeds 8 percent. These results reflect discounting at a 5 percent annual rate over 20 years after displacement. We also document large cyclical movements in the incidence of job loss and job displacement and present evidence on how worker anxieties about job loss, wage cuts, and job opportunities respond to contemporaneous economic conditions. Finally, we confront leading models of unemployment fluctuations with evidence on the present-value earnings losses associated with job displacement. The 1994 model of Dale Mortensen and Christopher Pissarides, extended to include search on the job, generates present-value losses that are only one-fourth as large as observed losses. Moreover, present-value losses in the model vary little with aggregate conditions at the time of displacement, unlike the pattern in the data.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
Investment in Human Capital: A Theoretical Analysis
Becker, G. S. (1962) · Journal of Political Economy · doi:10.1086/258724 · Cited by 8,063
Beebout, H. (1973) · American Journal of Agricultural Economics · doi:10.2307/1238690 · Cited by 4,528
Job Creation and Job Destruction in the Theory of Unemployment
Mortensen, D. T., & Pissarides, C. A. (1994) · The Review of Economic Studies · doi:10.2307/2297896 · Cited by 3,840
Job Matching and the Theory of Turnover
Jovanovic, B. (1979) · Journal of Political Economy · doi:10.1086/260808 · Cited by 3,092
Earnings Losses of Displaced Workers
Jacobson, L. S., LaLonde, R. J., & Sullivan, D. G. (1992) · doi:10.17848/wp92-11 · Cited by 2,895
The Cyclical Behavior of Equilibrium Unemployment and Vacancies
Shimer, R. (2005) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/0002828053828572 · Cited by 2,731
The Nash Bargaining Solution in Economic Modelling
Binmore, K., Rubinstein, A., & Wolinsky, A. (1986) · The RAND Journal of Economics · doi:10.2307/2555382 · Cited by 2,288
What Can Economists Learn from Happiness Research?
Frey, B. S., & Stutzer, A. (2002) · Journal of Economic Literature · doi:10.1257/jel.40.2.402 · Cited by 2,206
The Fair Wage-Effort Hypothesis and Unemployment
Akerlof, G. A., & Yellen, J. L. (1990) · The Quarterly Journal of Economics · doi:10.2307/2937787 · Cited by 2,163
Changes in the Wage Structure and Earnings Inequality
Katz, L. F., & Autor, D. H. (1999) · Handbook of Labor Economics · doi:10.1016/s1573-4463(99)03007-2 · Cited by 2,032
Wage Differentials, Employer Size, and Unemployment
Burdett, K., & Mortensen, D. T. (1998) · International Economic Review · doi:10.2307/2527292 · Cited by 1,809
Understanding Productivity: Lessons from Longitudinal Microdata
Bartelsman, E. J., & Doms, M. (2000) · Journal of Economic Literature · doi:10.1257/jel.38.3.569 · Cited by 1,632
Employment Fluctuations with Equilibrium Wage Stickiness
Hall, R. E. (2005) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/0002828053828482 · Cited by 1,439
The Short- and Long-Term Career Effects of Graduating in a Recession
Oreopoulos, P., von Wachter, T., & Heisz, A. (2012) · American Economic Journal: Applied Economics · doi:10.1257/app.4.1.1 · Cited by 1,256
Self-citationThe long-term labor market consequences of graduating from college in a bad economy
Kahn, L. B. (2010) · Labour Economics · doi:10.1016/j.labeco.2009.09.002 · Cited by 1,187
Blanchard, O. J., Diamond, P., Hall, R. E., & Yellen, J. (1989) · Brookings Papers on Economic Activity · doi:10.2307/2534495 · Cited by 1,057
The Cyclical Behavior of Equilibrium Unemployment and Vacancies Revisited
Hagedorn, M., & Manovskii, I. (2008) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/aer.98.4.1692 · Cited by 1,046
Industry-Specific Human Capital: Evidence from Displaced Workers
Neal, D. (1995) · Journal of Labor Economics · doi:10.1086/298388 · Cited by 1,002
The European Unemployment Dilemma
Ljungqvist, L., & Sargent, T. J. (1998) · Journal of Political Economy · doi:10.1086/250020 · Cited by 1,001
Investment and Wages in the Absence of Binding Contracts: A Nash Bargaining Approach
Grout, P. A. (1984) · Econometrica · doi:10.2307/1911498 · Cited by 945
Aggregate Productivity Growth: Lessons from Microeconomic EvidencePreprint
Foster, L., Haltiwanger, J., & Krizan, C. J. (2001) · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics · Cited by 872
Job Displacement and Mortality: An Analysis Using Administrative Data*
Sullivan, D., & Wachter, T. V. (2009) · Quarterly Journal of Economics · doi:10.1162/qjec.2009.124.3.1265 · Cited by 839
The Unemployment Volatility Puzzle: Is Wage Stickiness the Answer?
(2009) · Econometrica · doi:10.3982/ecta7562 · Cited by 792
Unemployment Fluctuations with Staggered Nash Wage Bargaining
Gertler, M., & Trigari, A. (2009) · Journal of Political Economy · doi:10.1086/597302 · Cited by 765
The Limited Influence of Unemployment on the Wage Bargain
Hall, R. E., & Milgrom, P. R. (2008) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/aer.98.4.1653 · Cited by 750
Equilibrium Wage Dispersion with Worker and Employer Heterogeneity
Postel-Vinay, F., & Robin, J.-M. (2002) · Econometrica · doi:10.1111/1468-0262.00377 · Cited by 718
Earnings Losses of Displaced Workers Revisited
Couch, K. A., & Placzek, D. W. (2010) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/aer.100.1.572 · Cited by 676
Persistent Effects of Job Displacement: The Importance of Multiple Job Losses
Stevens, A. H. (1997) · Journal of Labor Economics · doi:10.1086/209851 · Cited by 663
Bulow, J., & Summers, L. (1985) · National Bureau of Economic Research · doi:10.3386/w1666 · Cited by 663
Are Workers Permanently Scarred by Job Displacements
Ruhm, C. J. (1991) · NC Digital Online Collection of Knowledge and Scholarship (The University of North Carolina at Greensboro) · Cited by 615
Gross Job Creation and Destruction: Microeconomic Evidence and Macroeconomic Implications
Davis, S. J., & Haltiwanger, J. (1990) · NBER Macroeconomics Annual · doi:10.1086/654135 · Cited by 537
Self-citationThe Ins and Outs of Cyclical Unemployment
Elsby, M. W. L., Michaels, R., & Solon, G. (2009) · American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics · doi:10.1257/mac.1.1.84 · Cited by 463
Job Displacement, Disability, and Divorce
Charles, K. K., & Stephens, Jr. (2004) · Journal of Labor Economics · doi:10.1086/381258 · Cited by 444
The Flow Approach to Labor Markets: New Data Sources and Micro–Macro Links
Davis, S. J., Faberman, R. J., & Haltiwanger, J. (2006) · Journal of Economic Perspectives · doi:10.1257/jep.20.3.3 · Cited by 429
Self-citationMore on unemployment and vacancy fluctuations
Mortensen, D. T., & Nagypál, É. (2007) · Review of Economic Dynamics · doi:10.1016/j.red.2007.01.004 · Cited by 405
The Intergenerational Effects of Worker Displacement
Oreopoulos, P., Page, M., & Stevens, A. H. (2008) · Journal of Labor Economics · doi:10.1086/588493 · Cited by 378
Aggregate Productivity Growth: Lessons from Microeconomic EvidencePreprint
Haltiwanger, J., Krizan, C. J., & Foster, L. (1998) · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics · Cited by 359
Eliason, M., & Storrie, D. (2009) · Journal of Human Resources · doi:10.1353/jhr.2009.0020 · Cited by 342
Business cycles, unemployment insurance, and the calibration of matching models
Costain, J. S., & Reiter, M. (2008) · Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control · doi:10.1016/j.jedc.2007.04.008 · Cited by 335
Toward a Better Estimation of the Effect of Job Loss on Health
Burgard, S. A., Brand, J. E., & House, J. S. (2007) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.1177/002214650704800403 · Cited by 330
Poletaev, M., & Robinson, C. (2008) · Journal of Labor Economics · doi:10.1086/588180 · Cited by 326
LABOR TURNOVER COSTS AND THE CYCLICAL BEHAVIOR OF VACANCIES AND UNEMPLOYMENT
Silva, J. I., & Toledo, M. (2009) · Macroeconomic Dynamics · doi:10.1017/s1365100509080122 · Cited by 306
Job Loss, Job Finding, and Unemployment in the U.S. Economy over the Past Fifty Years
Hall, R. E. (2005) · NBER Macroeconomics Annual · doi:10.1086/ma.20.3585415 · Cited by 293
Frictional Wage Dispersion in Search Models: A Quantitative Assessment
Hornstein, A., Krusell, P., & Violante, G. L. (2011) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/aer.101.7.2873 · Cited by 286
Labor market flows in the cross section and over time
Davis, S. J., Faberman, R. J., & Haltiwanger, J. (2012) · Journal of Monetary Economics · doi:10.1016/j.jmoneco.2011.10.001 · Cited by 266
Self-citationShort-run effects of parental job loss on children's academic achievement
Stevens, A. H., & Schaller, J. (2011) · Economics of Education Review · doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2010.10.002 · Cited by 253
Specific capital and unemployment: Measuring the costs and consequences of job loss
Topel, R. (1990) · Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy · doi:10.1016/0167-2231(90)90013-b · Cited by 242
The Consequences of Rigid Wages in Search Models
Shimer, R. (2004) · Journal of the European Economic Association · doi:10.1162/154247604323068159 · Cited by 230
Job Loss Expectations, Realizations, and Household Consumption Behavior
Stephens, M. (2004) · Review of Economics and Statistics · doi:10.1162/003465304323023796 · Cited by 196
von Wachter, T., Song, J. G., & Manchester, J. M. (2009) · Cited by 172
The Effect of Plant Downsizing on Disability Pension Utilization
Rege, M., Telle, K., & Votruba, M. (2009) · Journal of the European Economic Association · doi:10.1162/jeea.2009.7.4.754 · Cited by 168
Alternative and Part-Time Employment Arrangements as a Response to Job Loss
Farber, H. (1999) · National Bureau of Economic Research · doi:10.3386/w7002 · Cited by 164
The Cost of Recessions Revisited: A Reverse-Liquidationist View
Caballero, R. J., & Hammour, M. L. (2005) · Review of Economic Studies · doi:10.1111/j.1467-937x.2005.00334.x · Cited by 162
Determinants of the growth in the Social Security Administration's disability programs--an overview.
Rupp, K., & Stapleton, D. C. (1995) · PubMed · Cited by 131
Labor Statistics Measurement Issues
Haltiwanger, J., Manser, M. E., & Topel, R. (1998) · University of Chicago Press eBooks · doi:10.7208/chicago/9780226314594.001.0001 · Cited by 122
Private Information, Wage Bargaining and Employment Fluctuations
Kennan, J. (2009) · The Review of Economic Studies · doi:10.1111/j.1467-937x.2009.00580.x · Cited by 102
The CPS After the Redesign: Refocusing the Economic LensPreprint
Polivka, A. E., & Miller, S. M. (1998) · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics · Cited by 79
Estimating the 'True' Cost of Job Loss: Evidence Using Matched Data from California 1991-2000Preprint
von Wachter, T., Handwerker, E. W., & Hildreth, A. K. G. (2009) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.1444552 · Cited by 79
Does Wage Persistence Matter for Employment Fluctuations? Evidence from Displaced Workers
Schmieder, J. F., & von Wachter, T. (2010) · American Economic Journal Applied Economics · doi:10.1257/app.2.3.1 · Cited by 71
Abraham, K. G., Spletzer, J. R., & Harper, M. (2010) · University of Chicago Press eBooks · doi:10.7208/chicago/9780226001463.001.0001 · Cited by 48
Estimates of Earnings Losses of Displaced Workers Using California Administrative Data
Schoeni, R. F., Dardia, M., DiNardo, J., Finegold, D., Hu, W.-Y., Hurd, M. D., Kletzer, L. G., & Lalonde, R. (2002) · Cited by 30
Labor Turnover Costs and the Behavior of Vacancies and Unemployment
Silva, J. I., & Toledo, M. (2009) · Macroeconomic Dynamics · Cited by 30
Worker flows, job flows and unemployment in a matching model
BURGESS, S. M., & Turon, H. (2009) · European Economic Review · doi:10.1016/j.euroecorev.2009.08.009 · Cited by 27
Specific Capital and Vintage Effects on the Dynamics of Unemployment and Vacancies
Eyigungor, B. (2010) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/aer.100.3.1214 · Cited by 27
Sensitivity of Job Destruction to Vintage and Tenure Effects
Kilponen, J., & Vanhala, J. (2014) · Scandinavian Journal of Economics · doi:10.1111/sjoe.12078 · Cited by 3
Cited by
Song, J., Price, D. J., Guvenen, F., Bloom, N., & von Wachter, T. (2019) · The Quarterly Journal of Economics · doi:10.1093/qje/qjy025 · Cited by 674
Self-citationThe Transitional Costs of Sectoral Reallocation: Evidence From the Clean Air Act and the Workforce*
Walker, W. R. (2013) · The Quarterly Journal of Economics · doi:10.1093/qje/qjt022 · Cited by 506
Women, Gender equality and COVID-19
Carli, L. L. (2020) · Gender in Management: An International Journal · doi:10.1108/gm-07-2020-0236 · Cited by 326
Cashier or Consultant? Entry Labor Market Conditions, Field of Study, and Career Success
Altonji, J. G., Kahn, L. B., & Speer, J. D. (2016) · Journal of Labor Economics · doi:10.1086/682938 · Cited by 303
Labor Market Fluidity and Economic Performance
Davis, S., & Haltiwanger, J. (2014) · National Bureau of Economic Research · doi:10.3386/w20479 · Cited by 280
Self-citation
Metadata
- Authors
- Davis, S. J., & von Wachter, T.
- Venue
- Brookings Papers on Economic Activity
- Publisher
- Project MUSE
- Published
- 2011-09
- Volume
- 2011
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 1-72
- ISSN
- 0007-2303 (ISSN-L)
- 1533-4465
- OpenAlex
- W2134956426
- Cited by
- 533
- References
- 65
- FWCI
- 65.21
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
Data sources
Bibliographic data: Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, Crossref.
Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).
Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.