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Great Layoff, Great Retirement and Post-pandemic Inflation

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  • Ascari, Guido
  • Grazzini, Jakob
  • Massaro, Domenico

Abstract

The Covid-19 shock caused a dramatic spike in the number of retirees -- a phenomenon dubbed the ``Great Retirement" -- and a prolonged contraction in the labor force. This paper investigates the impact of the Great Retirement on the post-pandemic surge of inflation, via the labor market. First, retirement is generally countercyclical, and the peculiarity of the pandemic shock was just in its size: the ``Great Layoff'' in March and April 2020 triggered the Great Retirement. Hence, a transitory labor demand shock generated a persistent labor supply shock. Second, counties more exposed to the Great Layoff exhibit a relatively higher increase in wages. Finally, an estimated model with endogenous labor market participation quantitatively assesses the overall contribution of the Great Retirement to inflation from 2020:Q1 up to 2023:Q2 to be roughly equal to 3.7 percentage (cumulative) points.

Suggested Citation

  • Ascari, Guido & Grazzini, Jakob & Massaro, Domenico, 2024. "Great Layoff, Great Retirement and Post-pandemic Inflation," CEPR Discussion Papers 19068, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:19068
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • E30 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)

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