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Dissecting Idiosyncratic Earnings Risk

Author

Listed:
  • Elin Halvorsen
  • Hans A Holter
  • Serdar Ozkan
  • Kjetil Storesletten

Abstract

This paper examines whether nonlinear and non-Gaussian features of earnings dynamics are caused by hours or hourly wages. Our findings from the Norwegian administrative and survey data are as follows: (i) Nonlinear mean reversion in earnings is driven by the dynamics of hours worked rather than wages since wage dynamics are close to linear, while hours dynamics are nonlinear—negative changes to hours are transitory, while positive changes are persistent. (ii) Large earnings changes are driven equally by hours and wages, whereas small changes are associated mainly with wage shocks. (iii) Both wages and hours contribute to negative skewness and high kurtosis for earnings changes, although hour-wage interactions are quantitatively more important. (iv) When considering household earnings and disposable household income, the deviations from normality are mitigated relative to individual labor earnings: changes in disposable household income are approximately symmetric and less leptokurtic.

Suggested Citation

  • Elin Halvorsen & Hans A Holter & Serdar Ozkan & Kjetil Storesletten, 2024. "Dissecting Idiosyncratic Earnings Risk," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 22(2), pages 617-668.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jeurec:v:22:y:2024:i:2:p:617-668.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/jeea/jvad047
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    Cited by:

    1. Kindermann, Fabian & Pueschel, Veronika, 2021. "Progressive Pensions as an Incentive for Labor Force Participation," CEPR Discussion Papers 16380, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Isaak, Niklas & Jessen, Robin, 2024. "Moderation in Higher-Order Earnings Risk? Evidence from German Cohorts," IZA Discussion Papers 17568, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Darapheak Tin & Chung Tran, 2023. "Lifecycle Earnings Risk and Insurance: New Evidence from Australia," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 99(325), pages 141-174, June.
    4. Ragnar E. Juelsrud & Ella Getz Wold, 2025. "The Importance of Unemployment Risk for Individual Savings," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 71(8), pages 6746-6769, August.
    5. Edmund Crawley & Martin Holm & Håkon Tretvoll, 2022. "A Parsimonious Model of Idiosyncratic Income," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2022-026, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    6. Ana Sofia Pessoa, 2021. "Earnings Dynamics in Germany," CESifo Working Paper Series 9117, CESifo.
    7. Ursula Mello & Tomas Rodriguez Martinez, 2020. "Trade-induced local labor market shocks and asymmetrical labor income risk," Economics Working Papers 1764, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    8. Mitman, Kurt & Broer, Tobias & Kramer, John, 2022. "The Curious Incidence of Monetary Policy Across the Income Distribution," CEPR Discussion Papers 17589, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    9. Nuno Alves & Carlos Martins, 2025. "The anatomy of household income dynamics in Portugal," Economic Bulletin and Financial Stability Report Articles and Banco de Portugal Economic Studies, Banco de Portugal, Economics and Research Department.
    10. Joseph Altonji & Disa Hynsjo & Ivan Vidangos, 2023. "Individual Earnings and Family Income: Dynamics and Distribution," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 49, pages 225-250, July.
    11. Karl Harmenberg & Raysa Lizarraga, 2025. "Earnings dynamics and top-earnings inequality," Working Papers 01/2025, Centre for Household Finance and Macroeconomic Research (HOFIMAR), BI Norwegian Business School.

    More about this item

    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
    • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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