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How Do Households Respond to Job Loss? Lessons from Multiple High-Frequency Data Sets

Author

Listed:
  • Kreiner, Claus Thustrup
  • Andersen, Asger Lau
  • Jensen, Amalie
  • Johannesen, Niels
  • Sheridan, Adam

Abstract

How do households respond to job loss, and which self-insurance channels are most important? By linking high-frequency customer data from the largest bank in Denmark with government administrative registers, we quantify a broad range of responses to job loss in a unified empirical framework. Two responses stand out: during the first 24 months after job loss, reductions in household spending account for 30% of the income loss, while lower saving in liquid assets accounts for 50%. Other response margins highlighted in the literature - spousal labor supply, private transfers, home equity extraction, mortgage refinancing, and consumer credit - are less important.

Suggested Citation

  • Kreiner, Claus Thustrup & Andersen, Asger Lau & Jensen, Amalie & Johannesen, Niels & Sheridan, Adam, 2021. "How Do Households Respond to Job Loss? Lessons from Multiple High-Frequency Data Sets," CEPR Discussion Papers 16131, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:16131
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    2. Fagereng, Andreas & Onshuus, Helene & Torstensen, Kjersti N., 2024. "The consumption expenditure response to unemployment: Evidence from Norwegian households," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    3. Kostøl, Andreas Ravndal & Merkle, Matthew C. & Grindaker, Morten, 2024. "Layoff Costs and Learning about Employer Financial Distress," IZA Discussion Papers 17340, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Bonnet, Odran & Fize, Étienne & Loisel, Tristan & Wilner, Lionel, 2025. "Compensating against fuel price inflation: Price subsidies or transfers?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    5. Fukuda, Kenta, 2024. "Job loss, consumption insurance, and household time allocation," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    6. M. Adam & O. Bonnet & E. Fize & T. Loisel & M. Rault & L. Wilner, 2023. "How does fuel demand respond to price changes? Quasi-experimental evidence based on high-frequency data," Documents de Travail de l'Insee - INSEE Working Papers 2023-17, Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques.
    7. Odran Bonnet & Étienne Fize & Tristan Loisel & Lionel Wilner, 2024. "Is Carbon Tax Truly More Salient? Evidence from Fuel Tourism at the France-Germany Border," CESifo Working Paper Series 10918, CESifo.
    8. Bacher, Annika & Grübener, Philipp & Nord, Lukas, 2025. "Joint search over the life cycle," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    9. Kim, Seonghoon & Wang, Lanjie, 2024. "Navigating Unemployment without Unemployment Insurance: Evidence from Singapore," IZA Discussion Papers 17299, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Sigurd Galaasen & Herman Kruse, 2025. "Spousal spillovers in the labor market: A structural assessment," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 58, October.
    11. Hartmann, Ida Maria & Leth-Petersen, Søren, 2024. "Subjective unemployment expectations and (self-)insurance," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    12. Nathaniel Pattison, 2024. "Landlords as Lenders of Last Resort? Late Housing Payments During Unemployment," Departmental Working Papers 2401, Southern Methodist University, Department of Economics.
    13. Isaac Baley & Ana Figueiredo & Cristiano Mantovani & Alireza Sepahsalari, 2025. "Self-insurance in turbulent labor markets," Economics Working Papers 1931, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    14. Figueiredo, Ana & Marie, Olivier & Markiewicz, Agnieszka, 2023. "Job Security and Liquid Wealth," CEPR Discussion Papers 18577, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    15. Sam Manning & Tomás Aguirre, 2026. "How Adaptable Are American Workers to AI-Induced Job Displacement?," NBER Chapters, in: The Economics of Transformative AI, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • G51 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Household Savings, Borrowing, Debt, and Wealth
    • G52 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Insurance
    • J65 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment Insurance; Severance Pay; Plant Closings

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