IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecolet/v123y2014i2p109-112.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sluggish US employment recovery after the Great Recession: Cyclical or structural factors?

Author

Listed:
  • Lucchetta, Marcella
  • Paradiso, Antonio

Abstract

This paper aims at investigating the causes of the observed departure of employment path from the GDP movements occurred in US in the late of 2008 onwards. Starting from a production function approach, and assuming that the TFP growth is explained by variables linked to the business cycle, we are able to formulate an extended version of Okun’s law based on cyclical factors. Out-of-sample forecasting for the period 2008 onward shows that predicted US employment is on average 1.7% above the observed one, meaning that this gap cannot be attributed to identified cyclical factors.

Suggested Citation

  • Lucchetta, Marcella & Paradiso, Antonio, 2014. "Sluggish US employment recovery after the Great Recession: Cyclical or structural factors?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 123(2), pages 109-112.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:123:y:2014:i:2:p:109-112
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2014.01.032
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165176514000469
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.econlet.2014.01.032?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Baldwin, Richard E. & Forslid, Rikard, 1999. "Incremental trade policy and endogenous growth:: A q-theory approach," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 23(5-6), pages 797-822, April.
    2. Francisco L. Rivera-Batiz & Luis A. Rivera-Batiz, 2018. "International Trade with Endogenous Technological Change," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Francisco L Rivera-Batiz & Luis A Rivera-Batiz (ed.), International Trade, Capital Flows and Economic Development, chapter 2, pages 33-70, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    3. Edwards, Sebastian, 1998. "Openness, Productivity and Growth: What Do We Really Know?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 108(447), pages 383-398, March.
    4. Michael W. L. Elsby & Bart Hobijn & Aysegul Sahin, 2010. "The Labor Market in the Great Recession," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 41(1 (Spring), pages 1-69.
    5. Christopher A. Pissarides & Giovanna Vallanti, 2007. "The Impact Of Tfp Growth On Steady-State Unemployment," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 48(2), pages 607-640, May.
    6. Montalvo, Jose G., 1995. "Comparing cointegrating regression estimators: Some additional Monte Carlo results," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 48(3-4), pages 229-234, June.
    7. Mary C. Daly & Bart Hobijn, 2010. "Okun’s law and the unemployment surprise of 2009," FRBSF Economic Letter, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, issue mar8.
    8. Blinder, Alan S, 1997. "Is There a Core of Practical Macroeconomics That We Should All Believe?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(2), pages 240-243, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Pitorac Ruxandra, 2015. "The Specifics Of Okun’S Law In The Romanian Economy Between 2007 And 2013," Annals - Economy Series, Constantin Brancusi University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 1, pages 50-53, February.
    2. Porras-Arena, M. Sylvina & Martín-Román, Ángel L., 2023. "The heterogeneity of Okun's law: A metaregression analysis," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    3. Klinger, Sabine & Weber, Enzo, 2016. "Detecting unemployment hysteresis: A simultaneous unobserved components model with Markov switching," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 115-118.
    4. Luz A. Flórez & Karen L. Pulido-Mahecha & Mario A. Ramos-Veloza, 2018. "Okun´s law in Colombia: a non-linear cointegration," Borradores de Economia 1039, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    5. Klinger, Sabine & Weber, Enzo, 2015. "GDP-Employment Decoupling and the Productivity Puzzle in Germany," University of Regensburg Working Papers in Business, Economics and Management Information Systems 485, University of Regensburg, Department of Economics.
    6. Klinger, Sabine & Weber, Enzo, 2019. "GDP-Employment decoupling and the slow-down of productivity growth in Germany," IAB-Discussion Paper 201912, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    7. Paccagnini, Alessia, 2019. "Did financial factors matter during the Great Recession?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 26-30.
    8. Michael Donadelli & Vahid Mojtahed & Antonio Paradiso, 2015. "Technological Progress, Investment Frictions and Business Cycle: New Insights from a Neoclassical Growth Model," Working Papers LuissLab 15119, Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza, LUISS Guido Carli.
    9. Klinger, Sabine & Weber, Enzo, 2020. "GDP-employment decoupling in Germany," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 82-98.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Haoyuan Ding & Bo Pu & Tong Qi & Kai Wang, 2022. "Valuation effects of the US–China trade war: The effects of foreign managers and foreign exposure," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(3), pages 662-683, July.
    2. Dodzin, Sergei & Vamvakidis, Athanasios, 2004. "Trade and industrialization in developing economies," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(1), pages 319-328, October.
    3. Tadashi Morita & Hajime Takatsuka & Kazuhiro Yamamoto, 2015. "Does Globalization Foster Economic Growth?," The Japanese Economic Review, Japanese Economic Association, vol. 66(4), pages 492-519, December.
    4. Iti Vyas, 2020. "Whether the Economic Growth of India is Trade Openness Led?," Eurasian Journal of Economics and Finance, Eurasian Publications, vol. 8(1), pages 38-53.
    5. Takumi Naito, 2021. "Can The Optimal Tariff Be Zero For A Growing Large Country?," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 62(3), pages 1237-1280, August.
    6. Bravo-Ortega, Claudio & García Marín, Álvaro, 2011. "R&D and Productivity: A Two Way Avenue?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(7), pages 1090-1107, July.
    7. Hénock Muanza Katuala, 2020. "Intraregional Openness and Dynamics of outgoing growth [Ouverture intra-régionale et Dynamique de la croissance extravertie]," Working Papers hal-02540689, HAL.
    8. Goh, Ai-Ting & Olivier, Jacques, 2002. "Learning by doing, trade in capital goods and growth," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(2), pages 411-444, March.
    9. Saïd Hanchane & Abdouni Abdeljabbar, 2004. "La dynamique de la croissance économique et de l'ouverture dans les pays en voie de développement : quelques investigations empiriques à partir des données de Panel," Working Papers halshs-00083720, HAL.
    10. repec:dau:papers:123456789/4104 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Mtiraoui, abderraouf, 2015. "Openness, Human Capital and Economic Growth in MENA: Theoretical foundations and application to Dynamic panel data," MPRA Paper 61530, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Richard Baldwin & Henrik Braconier & Rikard Forslid, 2005. "Multinationals, Endogenous Growth, and Technological Spillovers: Theory and Evidence," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(5), pages 945-963, November.
    13. Aribah Aslam, 2020. "The hotly debate of human capital and economic growth: why institutions may matter?," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 54(4), pages 1351-1362, August.
    14. Murat Tasci, 2012. "The ins and outs of unemployment in the long run: unemployment flows and the natural rate," Working Papers (Old Series) 1224, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
    15. repec:dau:papers:123456789/3202 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Mary Daly & Bart Hobijn & Aysegul Sahin & Robert Valletta, 2011. "A Rising Natural Rate of Unemployment: Transitory or Permanent?," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 11-160/3, Tinbergen Institute.
    17. Dong-Hyeon Kim & Shu-Chin Lin, 2009. "Trade and Growth at Different Stages of Economic Development," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(8), pages 1211-1224.
    18. Antal, Miklós, 2014. "Green goals and full employment: Are they compatible?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 276-286.
    19. Daly, Mary C. & Hobijn, Bart & Valletta, Robert G., 2011. "The Recent Evolution of the Natural Rate of Unemployment," IZA Discussion Papers 5832, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    20. Monojit Chatterji & Sushil Mohan & Sayantan Ghosh Dastidar, 2014. "Relationship Between Trade Openness And Economic Growth Of India: A Time Series Analysis," Journal of Academic Research in Economics, Spiru Haret University, Faculty of Accounting and Financial Management Constanta, vol. 6(1 (March)), pages 45-69.
    21. Sucharita Ghosh & Camilla Mastromarco, 2013. "Cross-border Economic Activities, Human Capital and Efficiency: A Stochastic Frontier Analysis for OECD Countries," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(6), pages 761-785, June.
    22. Eriṣ, Mehmet N. & Ulaṣan, Bülent, 2013. "Trade openness and economic growth: Bayesian model averaging estimate of cross-country growth regressions," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 867-883.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Okun’s law; Employment recovery; Cointegration; Structural and cyclical factors;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • C40 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:123:y:2014:i:2:p:109-112. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ecolet .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.