People I Know: Job Search and Social Networks

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Labor Economics
Year: 2012
Volume: 30
Issue: 2
Pages: 291 - 332

Score contribution per author:

2.018 = (α=2.02 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We assess the strength of information spillovers relating unemployment duration of workers displaced by firm closures to their former colleagues' current employment status. Displaced-specific networks are recovered from a 20-year panel of matched employer-employee data. Spillovers are identified by comparing performances of codisplaced workers. A one-standard-deviation increase in the network employment rate reduces unemployment duration by about 8%; the effect is magnified if contacts recently searched for a job and if their current employer is spatially and technologically closer to the displaced worker; stronger ties and lower competition for information favor reemployment. Several indirect tests exclude other interaction mechanisms.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:jlabec:doi:10.1086/663357
Journal Field
Labor
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25