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Adjusting Labor Along The Intensive Margins

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  • Daniel S. Hamermesh
  • Jeff Biddle

Abstract

We expand the analysis of cyclical changes in labor demand by decomposing changes along the intensive margin into those in days/week and in hours/day. Using large cross sections of U.S. data, 1985-2018, we observe around 1/4 of the adjustment in weekly hours occurring through changing days/week. There is no adjustment of days/week in manufacturing; but 1/3 of the adjustment outside manufacturing occurs through days/week. The desirability of bunched leisure implies that secular shifts away from manufacturing have contributed to increasing economic welfare.

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  • Daniel S. Hamermesh & Jeff Biddle, 2024. "Adjusting Labor Along The Intensive Margins," NBER Working Papers 32752, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32752
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    Cited by:

    1. Brenøe, Anne Ardila & Krenk, Ursa & Steinhauer, Andreas & Zweimüller, Josef, 2025. "How Do Firms Respond to Parental Leave Absences?," IZA Discussion Papers 17845, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Anne Brenoe & Ursa Krenk & Andreas Steinhauer & Josef Zweimueller, 2025. "How Do Firms Respond to Parental Leave Absences?," RFBerlin Discussion Paper Series 2514, Rockwool Foundation Berlin (RF Berlin).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand

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