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Hysteresis in Unemployment: Evidence from OECD Estimates of the Natural Rate

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  • Laurence M. Ball
  • Joern Onken

Abstract

This paper studies the dynamics of unemployment (u) and its natural rate (u*), with u* measured by real-time estimates for 29 countries from the OECD. We find strong evidence of hysteresis: an innovation in u causes u* to change in the same direction, and therefore has permanent effects. For our baseline specification, a one percentage point deviation of u from u* for one year has a long-run effect of 0.16 points on both variables. When we allow asymmetry, we find, perhaps surprisingly, that decreases in u have larger long-run effects than increases in u.

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  • Laurence M. Ball & Joern Onken, 2021. "Hysteresis in Unemployment: Evidence from OECD Estimates of the Natural Rate," NBER Working Papers 29343, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:29343
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    1. Davide Romaniello, 2022. "Unemployment gap, isteresi e disoccupazione di lunga durata: quale ruolo nella comprensione dell'inflazione? (Unemployment gap, hysteresis and long-term unemployment: which role in explaining inflatio," Moneta e Credito, Economia civile, vol. 75(299), pages 267-283.
    2. Javier G. Gómez-Pineda & Julián Roa-Rozo, 2023. "A trend-cycle decomposition with hysteresis," Borradores de Economia 1230, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    3. Paternesi Meloni, Walter & Romaniello, Davide & Stirati, Antonella, 2022. "Inflation and the NAIRU: assessing the role of long-term unemployment as a cause of hysteresis," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).

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    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

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