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Aggregate hours worked in OECD countries: new measurement and implications for business cycles

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Abstract

We build a dataset of quarterly hours worked for 14 OECD countries. We document that hours are as volatile as output, that a large fraction of labor adjustment takes place along the intensive margin, and that the volatility of hours relative to output has increased over time. We use these data to reassess the Great Recession and prior recessions. The Great Recession in many countries is a puzzle in that labor wedges are small, while those in the U.S. Great Recession - and those in previous European recessions - are much larger.

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  • Lee E. Ohanian & Andrea Raffo, 2011. "Aggregate hours worked in OECD countries: new measurement and implications for business cycles," International Finance Discussion Papers 1039, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
  • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedgif:1039
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E0 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General
    • F41 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Open Economy Macroeconomics
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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