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Winter Weather and Work Hours: Heterogeneous Effects and Regional Adaptation

Author

Listed:
  • Liu, Bo

    (Southern New Hampshire University)

  • Hirsch, Barry

    (Georgia State University)

Abstract

Winter weather affects hours worked. We examine how work hours reported in the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) vary with respect to snowfall in 265 metropolitan areas over the years 2004-2014. The effects of snowfall on work hours vary across types of workers, occupation, industry, and region. Losses in work hours due to snow events are particularly large in the South and among construction workers. An average daily inch of snowfall during a reference week reduces work by about an hour. Few of the hours lost from large snowfalls are "made-up" in subsequent weeks. A "back-of-an-envelope" calculation suggests that in an average year, snow leads to a 0.15 percent loss in annual hours worked, a small but nontrivial impact.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Bo & Hirsch, Barry, 2020. "Winter Weather and Work Hours: Heterogeneous Effects and Regional Adaptation," IZA Discussion Papers 13831, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp13831
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    work hours and snow; regional adaptation; heterogeneity by industry; occupation; work type;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • O4 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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