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The Ins and Outs of Labor Force Participation

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  • Barnichon, Regis

Abstract

In this note, I decompose LFPR movements into the contributions of the inflows into participation --the Ins-- and the outflows out of participation --the Outs--. Contrary to conventional wisdom, movements in the outflow rate account for most of the variation of the labor force participation rate: the LFPR increases in tight labor markets because fewer workers leave the labor force, not because more nonparticipants enter. The cyclicality of the outflow rate is in turn mechanically driven by a composition effect: in tight labor markets, job seekers find jobs faster and as a result become less likely to leave the labor force.

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  • Barnichon, Regis, 2019. "The Ins and Outs of Labor Force Participation," CEPR Discussion Papers 13481, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:13481
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    1. Regis Barnichon & Geert Mesters, 2018. "On the Demographic Adjustment of Unemployment," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 100(2), pages 219-231, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Alexandre Ounnas, 2020. "Worker Flows, Occupations and the Dynamics of Unemployment and Labor Force Participation," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2020009, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    2. Alexandre Ounnas, 2020. "Job Polarization and the Labor Market: A Worker Flow Analysis," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2020010, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).

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