IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ajk/ajkdps/338.html

Worker Displacement and Labor Market Success: Evidence from Forced Labor Conscription during WWII

Author

Listed:
  • Carola Stapper

    (University of Cologne)

Abstract

Disruptions of labor market trajectories have lasting effects on later economic success. Displacement due to forced labor conscription is a disruption that remains understudied despite its continued prevalence in contemporary contexts. I investigate the consequences of exposure to forced labor conscription for individuals’ long-term labor market outcomes. I exploit the fact that cohorts of Dutch civilians faced a differential probability of temporary labor coercion in Nazi Germany during WWII in a Regression Discontinuity Design. Using Dutch census data from 1971, I find that conscripted individuals have lower education, income, and probability of employment. Analyzing heterogeneous effects, I find that exposure to harsher conditions in Germany is associated with reduced labor force participation and poorer health. My findings suggest that the negative impact on labor force participation is mitigated when individuals are conscripted to work in sectors that are also present in the Netherlands, which enhances their ability to reintegrate into the workforce.

Suggested Citation

  • Carola Stapper, 2024. "Worker Displacement and Labor Market Success: Evidence from Forced Labor Conscription during WWII," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 338, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:ajk:ajkdps:338
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econtribute.de/RePEc/ajk/ajkdps/ECONtribute_338_2024.pdf
    File Function: Second version, 2024
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sascha O. Becker, 2022. "Forced displacement in history: Some recent research," Australian Economic History Review, Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(1), pages 2-25, March.
    2. Thomas K. Bauer & Matthias Giesecke & Laura M. Janisch, 2019. "The Impact of Forced Migration on Mortality: Evidence From German Pension Insurance Records," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(1), pages 25-47, February.
    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.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Grossman, Daniel & Khalil, Umair & Panza, Laura, 2025. "The Intergenerational Health Effects of Forced Displacement: Japanese American Incarceration during WWII," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 242(C).
    2. Henri Bussink & Tobias Vervliet & Bas Weel, 2022. "The Short-Term Effect of the COVID-19 Crisis on Employment Probabilities of Labour-Market Entrants in the Netherlands," De Economist, Springer, vol. 170(2), pages 279-303, May.
    3. Matías Ciaschi & Mariana Marchionni & Guido Neidhöfer, 2026. "Intergenerational mobility in Latin America: the multiple facets of social status and the role of mothers," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 39(1), pages 1-28, March.
    4. Hjalmarsson, Randi & Machin, Stephen & Pinotti, Paolo, 2024. "Crime and the labor market," Handbook of Labor Economics,, Elsevier.
    5. Lee, Kyeongah, 2024. "The heterogenous effects of initial labor market conditions on entrants' careers across types of colleges," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    6. Mina Baliamoune-Lutz, 2023. "Does trade openness affect youth unemployment? New evidence from developing and emerging economies," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 43(3), pages 1502-1513.
    7. Chernina, Eugenia & Gimpelson, Vladimir, 2023. "Do wages grow with experience? Deciphering the Russian puzzle," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 545-563.
    8. Escamilla-Guerrero, David & Kosack, Edward & Ward, Zachary, 2023. "The Impact of Violence during the Mexican Revolution on Migration to the United States," IZA Discussion Papers 16359, IZA Network @ LISER.
    9. 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.
    10. Becker, Sascha O. & Mukand, Sharun & Yotzov, Ivan, 2022. "Persecution, pogroms and genocide: A conceptual framework and new evidence," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    11. Swati Dhingra & Fjolla Kondirolli, 2022. "Unemployment and labour market recovery policies," Indian Economic Review, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 223-235, June.
    12. Yukiko ASAI & Dmitri K. KOUSTAS, 2021. "Temporary Work Contracts and Female Labor Market Outcomes," Discussion papers 21071, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    13. David R. Agrawal & Aline Bütikofer, 2022. "Public finance in the era of the COVID-19 crisis," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 29(6), pages 1349-1372, December.
    14. Da Mata, Daniel & Oliveira, Rodrigo & Silva, Diana, 2025. "Who benefits from job training programs? Evidence from a high-dosage program in Brazil," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    15. Shisham Adhikari & Athanasios Geromichalos & Ates Gursoy & Ioannis Kospentaris, 2025. "How much work experience do you need to get your first job?: The macroeconomic implications of bias against labor market entrants," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 58, October.
    16. Albanese, Andrea & Cockx, Bart & Dejemeppe, Muriel, 2024. "Long-term effects of hiring subsidies for low-educated unemployed youths," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 235(C).
    17. Mattia Filomena, 2024. "Unemployment Scarring Effects: An Overview and Meta-analysis of Empirical Studies," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 10(2), pages 459-518, July.
    18. Jemesa Landers & Tom Coupé & Andrea Menclova, 2026. "The Long-Term Impact of War Victimization on Life Satisfaction - Evidence from the Life in Transition Survey," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 182(1), pages 1-20, March.
    19. Hupkau, Claudia & Ruiz-Valenzuela, Jenifer & Isphording, Ingo E. & Machin, Stephen, 2023. "Labour Market Shocks and Parental Investments during the Covid-19 Pandemic," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    20. Linet Nyanchama Arisa, 2025. "The Role of Formal and Informal Financing in Refugee Self-Employment: The Case of Urban Kenya," Economies, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-21, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • N34 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Europe: 1913-
    • N44 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Europe: 1913-
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J47 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Coercive Labor Markets

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ajk:ajkdps:338. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ECONtribute Office (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.econtribute.de .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.