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Let’s Get Physical: Impacts of Climate Change Physical Risks on Provincial Employment

Author

Listed:
  • Thibaut Duprey
  • Soojin Jo
  • Geneviève Vallée

Abstract

We analyze 40 years’ worth of natural disaster shocks in Canada, using a local projection framework to assess their impact on provincial labour markets. We find that disasters decrease hours worked within a week and lower wage growth in the medium run. The impact is driven by periods of employment slack, which suggests that disasters act as a catalyst for already weak local economies. We also find a more tempered response over time, possibly due to adaptation or stronger federal financial support. Finally, we document substantial heterogeneity across disaster types. Overall, our study highlights that natural disasters can detrimentally affect vulnerable workers through the income channel.

Suggested Citation

  • Thibaut Duprey & Soojin Jo & Geneviève Vallée, 2024. "Let’s Get Physical: Impacts of Climate Change Physical Risks on Provincial Employment," Staff Working Papers 24-32, Bank of Canada.
    • Handle: RePEc:bca:bocawp:24-32
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daniel J. Wilson, 2019. "Clearing the Fog: The Predictive Power of Weather for Employment Reports and Their Asset Price Responses," American Economic Review: Insights, American Economic Association, vol. 1(3), pages 373-388, December.
    2. Raykov, Radoslav & Silva-Buston, Consuelo, 2020. "Holding company affiliation and bank stability: Evidence from the US banking sector," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    3. Billings, Stephen B. & Gallagher, Emily A. & Ricketts, Lowell, 2022. "Let the rich be flooded: The distribution of financial aid and distress after hurricane harvey," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(2), pages 797-819.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Climate change; Regional economic developments; Labour markets;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • E30 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • L81 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Retail and Wholesale Trade; e-Commerce

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