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Turbulence and the employment experience of older workers

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  • Etienne Lalé

Abstract

This paper provides new interpretations of the effects of rising economic turbulence—an increase in the rate of skill depreciation upon job loss—and its interaction with labor market institutions. We have three main results, based on a life‐cycle model with labor market frictions and labor force participation decisions. First, rising economic turbulence during the 1970s and 1980s accounts for the decline in employment among older workers in the United States. Second, the interaction between turbulence and institutions explains most of the reduction in labor force participation among older workers in Europe over this period, but ultimately explains little of the rise in unemployment. Third, only a small share of the increase in unemployment can be attributed to the early retirement policies that were implemented in Europe from the 1970s up until the early 1990s. Our analysis indicates that incorporating an operative labor supply choice can pose serious challenges to theories aiming to explain the European unemployment problem.

Suggested Citation

  • Etienne Lalé, 2018. "Turbulence and the employment experience of older workers," Quantitative Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 9(2), pages 735-784, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:quante:v:9:y:2018:i:2:p:735-784
    DOI: 10.3982/QE557
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    Cited by:

    1. Jonathan Créchet & Étienne Lalé & Linas Tarasonis, 2023. "Life-Cycle Worker Flows and Cross-country Differences in Aggregate Employment," Working Papers 2306E, University of Ottawa, Department of Economics.
    2. Etienne Lalé, 2025. "Search and multiple jobholding," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 80(3), pages 891-939, November.
    3. Julien Albertini & Arthur Poirier & Anthony Terriau, 2020. "The impact of EITC on education, labor market trajectories, and inequalities," Working Papers halshs-03082382, HAL.
    4. Lalé, Etienne, 2017. "Worker reallocation across occupations: Confronting data with theory," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 51-68.
    5. Beverly, Josh & Stewart, Shamar L. & Neill, Clinton L., 2024. "What drives labor force participation rate variability? The case of West Virginia," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    6. Julien Albertini & Xavier Fairise & Arthur Poirier & Anthony Terriau, 2022. "Short-Time Work Policies During the Covid-19 Pandemic," Annals of Economics and Statistics, GENES, issue 146, pages 123-172.
    7. Etienne Lale, 2024. "Assessing Labour Market Conditions in Canada with Public-Use Microdata," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 50(2), pages 217-231, May.
    8. Per Krusell & Toshihiko Mukoyama & Richard Rogerson & Ayşegül Şahin, 2017. "Gross Worker Flows over the Business Cycle," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(11), pages 3447-3476, November.

    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
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search

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