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Fluctuations in hours of work and employment across age and gender

Author

Listed:
  • Guy Laroque

    (Institute for Fiscal Studies and Sciences Po, Paris and University College London)

  • Sophie Osotimehin

    (Institute for Fiscal Studies)

Abstract

This paper documents the heterogeneity in labor market volatility across ages and gender in the United States over 1976-2014. We separate fluctuations in hours worked into fluctuations in the average number of hours per worker (the intensive margin) and fluctuations in the number of individuals at work (the extensive margin) and examine the relative importance of these two margins for each demographic group. We then compute the contribution of each demographic group to the change in aggregate hours worked over the business cycle. We discuss the implications of our findings for theories of labor market fluctuations.

Suggested Citation

  • Guy Laroque & Sophie Osotimehin, 2015. "Fluctuations in hours of work and employment across age and gender," IFS Working Papers W15/03, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    • Handle: RePEc:ifs:ifsewp:15/03
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    File URL: https://www.ifs.org.uk/uploads/publications/wps/WP201503.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nir Jaimovich & Henry E. Siu, 2009. "The Young, the Old, and the Restless: Demographics and Business Cycle Volatility," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 99(3), pages 804-826, June.
    2. Kim B. Clark & Lawrence H. Summers, 1981. "Demographic Differences in Cyclical Employment Variation," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 16(1), pages 61-79.
    3. Richard Blundell & Antoine Bozio & Guy Laroque, 2013. "Extensive and Intensive Margins of Labour Supply: Work and Working Hours in the US, the UK and France," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 34(1), pages 1-29, March.
    4. Hilary Hoynes & Douglas L. Miller & Jessamyn Schaller, 2012. "Who Suffers during Recessions?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 26(3), pages 27-48, Summer.
    5. Paul Gomme & Richard Rogerson & Peter Rupert & Randall Wright, 2005. "The Business Cycle and the Life Cycle," NBER Chapters, in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 2004, Volume 19, pages 415-592, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Nir Jaimovich & Seth Pruitt & Henry E. Siu, 2013. "The Demand for Youth: Explaining Age Differences in the Volatility of Hours," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(7), pages 3022-3044, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Arjeta Aliaj & Xavier Flawinne & Alain Jousten & Sergio Perelman & Lin Shi, 2016. "Old-age employment and hours of work trends: empirical analysis for four European countries," IZA Journal of European Labor Studies, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 5(1), pages 1-22, December.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure

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