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Is labour becoming more or less flexible? Changing dynamic behaviour and asymmetries of labour input in US manufacturing

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  • Stuart Glosser
  • Lonnie Golden

Abstract

Have employment and hours become more flexible over time? Vector auto-regressions are estimated using monthly time-series data to generate impulse responses, which reflect the dynamic response of employment and average hours of labour input following a given shock in output demand. A marked change in the US manufacturing sector occurred after 1979. Although there is heterogeneity by industry and asymmetry over the business cycle, hours have become somewhat more and employment considerably less flexible, particularly during expansion phases. Employers are apparently delaying hiring and relying more on using hours as a buffer to absorb fluctuations in output demand. Copyright 2005, Oxford University Press.

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  • Stuart Glosser & Lonnie Golden, 2005. "Is labour becoming more or less flexible? Changing dynamic behaviour and asymmetries of labour input in US manufacturing," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 29(4), pages 535-557, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:cambje:v:29:y:2005:i:4:p:535-557
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    Cited by:

    1. Lonnie Golden & Stuart Glosser, 2013. "Work sharing as a potential policy tool for creating more and better employment: A review of the evidence," Chapters, in: Jon C. Messenger & Naj Ghosheh (ed.), Work Sharing during the Great Recession, chapter 7, pages 203-258, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Appelbaum, Elie & Kohli, Ulrich, 1998. "Import-Price Uncertainty, Production Decisions, and Relative Factor Shares," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 6(3), pages 345-360, August.
    3. W A Jackson, 2015. "Markets and the Meaning of Flexibility," Economic Issues Journal Articles, Economic Issues, vol. 20(2), pages 45-65, September.
    4. Alois Guger & Thomas Leoni, 2006. "Teilstudie 15: Arbeitsmarktflexibilität und soziale Absicherung," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 27454, February.
    5. Alois Guger, 2007. "WIFO-Weißbuch: Arbeitsmarktflexibilität und soziale Absicherung," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 80(5), pages 469-481, May.

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