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

Author

Listed:
  • Asger Lau Andersen

    (CEBI, Department of Economics, University of Copenhagen)

  • Amalie Sofie Jensen

    (Department of Economics, Princeton University)

  • Niels Johannesen

    (CEBI, Department of Economics, University of Copenhagen)

  • Claus Thustrup Kreiner

    (CEBI, Department of Economics, University of Copenhagen)

  • S�ren Leth-Petersen

    (CEBI, Department of Economics, University of Copenhagen)

  • Adam Sheridan

    (CEBI, Department of Economics, University of Copenhagen)

Abstract

How do households respond to job loss, and which self-insurance channels are most important? By linking customer data from the largest bank in Denmark with information from government administrative registers, we quantify a broad range of responses to job loss in a unified empirical framework. Two response margins stand out: during the first 24 months after job loss, households reduce spending by 30% of the income loss while reduced 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

  • Asger Lau Andersen & Amalie Sofie Jensen & Niels Johannesen & Claus Thustrup Kreiner & S�ren Leth-Petersen & Adam Sheridan, 2020. "How Do Households Respond to Job Loss? Lessons from Multiple High-Frequency Data Sets," CEBI working paper series 20-12, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. The Center for Economic Behavior and Inequality (CEBI).
    • Handle: RePEc:kud:kucebi:2012
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    Cited by:

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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. Fukuda, Kenta, 2024. "Job loss, consumption insurance, and household time allocation," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    5. 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.
    6. 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).
    7. Nathaniel Pattison, 2024. "Landlords as Lenders of Last Resort? Late Housing Payments During Unemployment," Departmental Working Papers 2401, Southern Methodist University, Department of Economics.
    8. 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.
    9. 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.
    10. 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.
    11. Bacher, Annika & Grübener, Philipp & Nord, Lukas, 2025. "Joint search over the life cycle," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    12. Kim, Seonghoon & Wang, Lanjie, 2024. "Navigating Unemployment without Unemployment Insurance: Evidence from Singapore," IZA Discussion Papers 17299, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. 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.
    14. Hartmann, Ida Maria & Leth-Petersen, Søren, 2024. "Subjective unemployment expectations and (self-)insurance," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    15. Figueiredo, Ana & Marie, Olivier & Markiewicz, Agnieszka, 2023. "Job Security and Liquid Wealth," CEPR Discussion Papers 18577, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

    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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