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Deconstructing Structural Unemployment

Author

Listed:
  • John Schmitt
  • Kris Warner

Abstract

Some economic observers argue “structural unemployment” has increased in the wake of the Great Recession, but in this paper we find little support for either of two arguments that suggest that structural unemployment has been on the rise. The first argument focuses on the large increase in unemployment among construction workers. The second argument is that falling house prices have reduced the mobility of unemployed workers — creating a “housing lock” in which unemployed workers, who would otherwise relocate to regions with jobs, are stuck in high unemployment areas.

Suggested Citation

  • John Schmitt & Kris Warner, 2011. "Deconstructing Structural Unemployment," CEPR Reports and Issue Briefs 2011-06, Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).
    • Handle: RePEc:epo:papers:2011-06
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    File URL: http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/dws-2011-03.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Henry S. Farber, 2003. "Job Loss in the United States, 1981-2001," Working Papers 850, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section..
    2. 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).
    3. Henry S. Farber, 2003. "Job Loss in the United States, 1981-2001," Working Papers 113, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Policy Studies..
    4. Dean Baker, 2009. "The Housing Crash Recession and the Case for a Third Stimulus," CEPR Reports and Issue Briefs 2009-10, Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).
    5. Henry S. Farber, 2003. "Job Loss in the United States, 1981-2001," Working Papers 113, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Policy Studies..
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Yuliya Demyanyk & Dmytro Hryshko & María Jose Luengo-Prado & Bent E. Sørensen, 2017. "Moving to a Job: The Role of Home Equity, Debt, and Access to Credit," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 9(2), pages 149-181, April.
    2. John Schmitt, 2011. "Labor Market Policy in the Great Recession: Some Lessons from Denmark and Germany," CEPR Reports and Issue Briefs 2011-12, Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).
    3. Rothstein, Jesse, 2015. "The Great Recession and its Aftermath: What Role for Structural Changes?," Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, Working Paper Series qt0gn7w7hn, Institute of Industrial Relations, UC Berkeley.
    4. Brown, Jennifer & Matsa, David A., 2020. "Locked in by leverage: Job search during the housing crisis," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(3), pages 623-648.
    5. Jesse Rothstein, 2012. "The Labor Market Four Years into the Crisis: Assessing Structural Explanations," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 65(3), pages 467-500, July.
    6. Valletta, Robert G., 2013. "House lock and structural unemployment," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 86-97.
    7. Modestino, Alicia Sasser & Dennett, Julia, 2013. "Are American homeowners locked into their houses? The impact of housing market conditions on state-to-state migration," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 322-337.
    8. Christopher F. Goetz, 2013. "Falling House Prices And Labor Mobility: Evidence From Matched Employer-Employee Data," Working Papers 13-43, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    unemployment; structural unemployment; stimulus; Great Recession;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics
    • E12 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Keynes; Keynesian; Post-Keynesian; Modern Monetary Theory
    • E2 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • E3 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • E5 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E6 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • J - Labor and Demographic Economics
    • J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor
    • J6 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • J63 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
    • J65 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment Insurance; Severance Pay; Plant Closings
    • J68 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Public Policy

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