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Non-Working Workers. The Spanish Labour Market under Covid-19

Author

Listed:
  • José Ignacio García-Pérez

    (Universidad Pablo de Olavide and FEDEA)

  • Antonio Villar

    (Universidad Pablo de Olavide and ISEAK)

Abstract

We propose in this paper a way of analyzing the evolution of unemployment that considers, besides conventional unemployment rates, unemployment duration, discouraged workers and workers with suspended jobs. Those variables are combined into a synthetic index of non-employment that can be expressed as the product of two components, incidence and severity. We apply this methodology to analyse the evolution of the Spanish labour market during one year with Covid-19. The data show that the behaviour of the job market has been very asymmetric by regions and types of workers. We find that not only incidence and severity are quite heterogeneous across regions and worker types, but also that the evolution between 2019 and 2020 has been different from that corresponding to the financial crisis, with high unemployment regions and older workers suffering less, in terms of incidence and severity.

Suggested Citation

  • José Ignacio García-Pérez & Antonio Villar, 2024. "Non-Working Workers. The Spanish Labour Market under Covid-19," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 248(1), pages 53-71, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:hpe:journl:y:2024:v:248:i:1:p:53-71
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Antonio Villar, 2017. "Inequality and Welfare," Lecture Notes in Economics and Mathematical Systems, in: Lectures on Inequality, Poverty and Welfare, chapter 0, pages 93-112, Springer.
    2. Samuel Bentolila & J. Ignacio García-Pérez & Marcel Jansen, 2017. "Are the Spanish long-term unemployed unemployable?," SERIEs: Journal of the Spanish Economic Association, Springer;Spanish Economic Association, vol. 8(1), pages 1-41, March.
    3. Till von Wachter, 2020. "The Persistent Effects of Initial Labor Market Conditions for Young Adults and Their Sources," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 34(4), pages 168-194, Fall.
    4. Lucía Gorjón & Sara Rica & Antonio Villar, 2020. "The Cost of Unemployment from a Social Welfare Approach: The Case of Spain and Its Regions," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 150(3), pages 955-976, August.
    5. Francisco José Goerlich Gisbert & Alba Miñano, 2018. "Unemployment, spell duration and the burden of unemployment in Spain during the XXI Century," Working Papers. Serie EC 2018-02, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas, S.A. (Ivie).
    6. Manimay Sengupta, 2009. "Unemployment duration and the measurement of unemployment," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 7(3), pages 273-294, September.
    7. Satya R. Chakravarty, 2009. "Inequality, Polarization and Poverty," Economic Studies in Inequality, Social Exclusion, and Well-Being, Springer, number 978-0-387-79253-8, June.
    8. Anthony Shorrocks, 2009. "Spell incidence, spell duration and the measurement of unemployment," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 7(3), pages 295-310, September.
    9. Antonio Villar, 2017. "Lectures on Inequality, Poverty and Welfare," Lecture Notes in Economics and Mathematical Systems, Springer, number 978-3-319-45562-4, September.
    10. Samuel Bentolila & J. Ignacio García-Pérez & Marcel Jansen, 2017. "Are the Spanish Long-Term Unemployed Unemployable?," Working Papers wp2018_1707, CEMFI.
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure

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