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(Re-)Connecting inflation and the labor market: A tale of two curves

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  • Ahn, Hie Joo
  • Rudd, Jeremy B.

Abstract

We propose an empirical framework in which shocks to worker reallocation, aggregate activity, and labor supply drive the joint dynamics of the labor market and inflation, and where reallocation shocks take two forms depending on whether they result from quits or from job losses. We find that these structural shocks, which affect the Beveridge curve, have different effects on inflation. Our model fully decomposes shifts of or along the empirical Beveridge curve in terms of the contribution of each shock and also allows us to estimate the Phillips correlation associated with each shock; observed Beveridge and Phillips correlations change over time depending on what types of structural shocks predominate in a given period. We find that reallocation shocks that accompany job losses were a key source of labor market dynamics and the steepening of the reduced-form Phillips curve during the Covid-19 pandemic, and were an important driver of the post-pandemic “soft landing.”

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  • Ahn, Hie Joo & Rudd, Jeremy B., 2025. "(Re-)Connecting inflation and the labor market: A tale of two curves," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:moneco:v:153:y:2025:i:c:s0304393225000674
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoneco.2025.103796
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    Cited by:

    1. Kaori Ochi, 2026. "Understanding Post-Pandemic Inflation in Japan and the U.S.: A Narrative Sign Restriction Approach," Bank of Japan Working Paper Series 26-E-4, Bank of Japan.
    2. Hie Joo Ahn & Yunjong Eo, 2025. "Hysteresis and the Role of Downward Nominal Wage Rigidity: Evidence from U.S. States," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2025-062r1, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.), revised 16 Dec 2025.

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    JEL classification:

    • C11 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Bayesian Analysis: General
    • C32 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes; State Space Models
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy

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