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The Benefits of Labor Mobility in a Currency Union

Author

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  • Christopher House

    (University of Michigan)

  • Christian Proebsting

    (EPFL)

  • Linda Tesar

    (University of Michigan)

Abstract

Cyclical unemployment rates differ substantially more between countries in the euro area than between states in the United States. We find that net migration is responsive to unemployment differentials, but the response is smaller in Europe relative to the U.S. This paper explores to what extent the lack of labor mobility in Europe makes it more difficult for the euro area to adjust to shocks. We develop a multi-country DSGE model of a currency union with cross-border migration and search frictions in the labor market. The model is calibrated to the 50-state U.S. economy and to the 31-country European economy and replicates, for each region, the relationship between net migration and unemployment differentials. The model allows us to quantify the benefits if Europe had enjoyed levels of labor mobility as high as those in the U.S. during the most recent crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher House & Christian Proebsting & Linda Tesar, 2018. "The Benefits of Labor Mobility in a Currency Union," 2018 Meeting Papers 876, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    • Handle: RePEc:red:sed018:876
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Knutsson, Polina, 2020. "Lasting Effects of an Import Shock: Channels of Adjustment," Working Papers 2020:3, Lund University, Department of Economics.
    2. Guilherme Bandeira & Jordi Caballe & Eugenia Vella, 2019. "Fiscal Austerity and Migration: A Missing Link," Working Papers 2019009, The University of Sheffield, Department of Economics.
    3. Proebsting, Christian, 2022. "Market segmentation and spending multipliers," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 1-19.
    4. Parsley, David & Popper, Helen, 2019. "GDP Synchronicity and Risk Sharing Channels in a Monetary Union: Blue State and Red States," MPRA Paper 98981, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Kuester, Keith & Jung, Philip & Ignaszak, Marek, 2020. "Federal unemployment reinsurance and local labor-market policies," CEPR Discussion Papers 15465, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    6. Helge Berger & Giovanni Dell’Ariccia & Maurice Obstfeld, 2019. "Revisiting the Economic Case for Fiscal Union in the Euro Area," IMF Economic Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Monetary Fund, vol. 67(3), pages 657-683, September.
    7. Vassilis Monastiriotis & Stylianos Sakkas, 2021. "Employment mobility and labour market flexibility in the EU," JRC Working Papers on Territorial Modelling and Analysis 2021-01, Joint Research Centre.
    8. Rémi Odry, 2020. "Academic Convergence and Migration: the effect of the BolognaProcess on European Mobility," EconomiX Working Papers 2020-24, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.

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