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Forecasting the unemployment rate using the degree of agreement in consumer unemployment expectations

Author

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  • Claveria, Oscar

    (AQR-IREA, University of Barcelona)

Abstract

"This study aims to refine unemployment forecasts by incorporating the degree of consensus in consumers' expectations. With this objective, we first model the unemployment rate in eight European countries using the step-wise algorithm proposed by Hyndman and Khandakar (J Stat Softw 27(3):1 - 22, 2008). The selected optimal autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models are then used to generate out-of-sample recursive forecasts of the unemployment rates, which are used as benchmark. Finally, we replicate the forecasting experiment including as predictors both an indicator of unemployment, based on the degree of agreement in consumer unemployment expectations, and a measure of disagreement based on the dispersion of expectations. In both cases, we obtain an improvement in forecast accuracy in most countries. These results reveal that the degree of agreement in consumers' expectations contains useful information to predict unemployment rates, especially for the detection of turning points." (Author's abstract, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

Suggested Citation

  • Claveria, Oscar, 2019. "Forecasting the unemployment rate using the degree of agreement in consumer unemployment expectations," Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 53, pages 1-003.
    • Handle: RePEc:iab:iabjlr:v:53:i::p:a003
    DOI: 10.1186/s12651-019-0253-4
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    1. is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Emilia Tomczyk & Barbara Kowalczyk, 2023. "Consensus in Business Tendency Surveys: Comparison of Alternative Measures," Gospodarka Narodowa. The Polish Journal of Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, issue 4, pages 17-29.
    3. Petar Sorić & Blanka Škrabić Perić & Marina Matošec, 2022. "Breaking new grounds: a fresh insight into the leading properties of business and consumer survey indicators," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 56(6), pages 4511-4535, December.
    4. Wooi Chen Khoo & Kim Leng Yeah & Shun Yi Hong, 2022. "Modeling unemployment duration, determinants and insurance premium pricing of Malaysia: insights from an upper middle-income developing country," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 2(8), pages 1-25, August.
    5. Oscar Claveria & Enric Monte & Salvador Torra, 2020. "“Spectral analysis of business and consumer survey data”," AQR Working Papers 2012002, University of Barcelona, Regional Quantitative Analysis Group, revised May 2020.
    6. Aurelia Rybak & Aleksandra Rybak, 2021. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Gaseous and Solid Air Pollutants Concentrations and Emissions in the EU, with Particular Emphasis on Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-25, June.
    7. Gillmann, Niels & Kim, Alisa, 2021. "Quantification of Economic Uncertainty: a deep learning approach," VfS Annual Conference 2021 (Virtual Conference): Climate Economics 242421, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    8. Oscar Claveria, 2020. "“Measuring and assessing economic uncertainty”," AQR Working Papers 2012003, University of Barcelona, Regional Quantitative Analysis Group, revised Jul 2020.
    9. Sorić, Petar & Lolić, Ivana & Claveria, Oscar & Monte, Enric & Torra, Salvador, 2019. "Unemployment expectations: A socio-demographic analysis of the effect of news," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 64-74.
    10. Petar Soric & Oscar Claveria, 2021. ""Employment uncertainty a year after the irruption of the covid-19 pandemic"," IREA Working Papers 202112, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics, revised May 2021.
    11. Lenka Mynaříková & Vít Pošta, 2023. "The Effect of Consumer Confidence and Subjective Well-being on Consumers’ Spending Behavior," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 429-453, February.
    12. Oscar Claveria & Petar Sorić, 2023. "Labour market uncertainty after the irruption of COVID-19," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 64(4), pages 1897-1945, April.
    13. Periklis Gogas & Theophilos Papadimitriou & Emmanouil Sofianos, 2022. "Forecasting unemployment in the euro area with machine learning," Journal of Forecasting, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(3), pages 551-566, April.
    14. Oscar Claveria, 2021. "Uncertainty indicators based on expectations of business and consumer surveys," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 48(2), pages 483-505, May.
    15. Tao, Miaomiao & Lin, Boqiang & Poletti, Stephen & Pan, Addison, 2024. "Can financial literacy Ease energy poverty? Some Lessons at the household level in China," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    16. Tomczyk, Emilia & Kowalczyk, Barbara, . "Porównanie metod pomiaru konsensusu w testach koniunktury," Gospodarka Narodowa-The Polish Journal of Economics, Szkoła Główna Handlowa w Warszawie / SGH Warsaw School of Economics, vol. 2023(4).
    17. Phi-Hung Nguyen & Jung-Fa Tsai & Ihsan Erdem Kayral & Ming-Hua Lin, 2021. "Unemployment Rates Forecasting with Grey-Based Models in the Post-COVID-19 Period: A Case Study from Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-27, July.
    18. Magazzino, Cosimo & Mele, Marco & Mutascu, Mihai, 2025. "An artificial neural network experiment on the prediction of the unemployment rate," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 47(3), pages 471-491.
    19. Oscar Claveria, 2021. "Forecasting with Business and Consumer Survey Data," Forecasting, MDPI, vol. 3(1), pages 1-22, February.
    20. Mihaela, Simionescu, 2020. "Improving unemployment rate forecasts at regional level in Romania using Google Trends," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    21. António Bento Caleiro, 2021. "Learning to Classify the Consumer Confidence Indicator (in Portugal)," Economies, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-12, September.
    22. Adriana AnaMaria Davidescu & Simona-Andreea Apostu & Liviu Adrian Stoica, 2021. "Socioeconomic Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic: Exploring Uncertainty in the Forecast of the Romanian Unemployment Rate for the Period 2020–2023," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-22, June.

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    JEL classification:

    • C51 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Model Construction and Estimation
    • C52 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Model Evaluation, Validation, and Selection
    • C53 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Forecasting and Prediction Models; Simulation Methods
    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • 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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