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Unemployment and personality: Are conscientiousness and agreeableness related to employability?

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  • Engelhardt, Carina

Abstract

This paper shows that unemployment and (some) personality traits are related. Individuals with low scores in the Big Five dimensions conscientiousness and agreeableness have a higher probability of being unemployed, longer unemployment durations, and experience more status changes between employment and unemployment. Results suggest that personality is an important determinant of women’s risk of unemployment, but for men personality is more a matter of job keeping.

Suggested Citation

  • Engelhardt, Carina, 2017. "Unemployment and personality: Are conscientiousness and agreeableness related to employability?," Hannover Economic Papers (HEP) dp-621, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät.
    • Handle: RePEc:han:dpaper:dp-621
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    Cited by:

    1. Bonacini, Luca & Gallo, Giovanni & Scicchitano, Sergio, 2021. "Sometimes you cannot make it on your own. How household background influences chances of success in Italy," GLO Discussion Paper Series 832, Global Labor Organization (GLO).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Noncognitive skills; Persnonality; Unemployment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H53 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Welfare Programs
    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
    • C38 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Classification Methdos; Cluster Analysis; Principal Components; Factor Analysis

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