The Asymmetric Cyclical Behavior of the U.S. Labor Market

B-Tier
Journal: Review of Economic Dynamics
Year: 2018
Volume: 30
Pages: 145-162

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

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

Abstract

The employment rate in the United States fluctuates asymmetrically over the business cycle: it contracts deeply and sharply during recessions, but it recovers slowly and gradually during expansions. By contrast, aggregate output exhibits nearly symmetric fluctuations about trend. I explain these facts using an equilibrium business cycle model with search frictions in the labor market and worker heterogeneity in productivity, featuring endogenous job destruction and fluctuations in labor composition. The model predicts that the response of the employment rate to shocks greatly varies over the business cycle; notably, it raises in recessions and declines in expansions. (Copyright: Elsevier)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:red:issued:16-161
Journal Field
Macro
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-25