Employment, hours, and earnings consequences of job loss: US evidence from the displaced workers survey

HS Farber - Journal of Labor Economics, 2017 - journals.uchicago.edu
HS Farber
Journal of Labor Economics, 2017journals.uchicago.edu
Data are used from the 1984–2016 Displaced Workers Surveys (DWS) to investigate the
incidence and consequences of job loss, 1981–2015. These data show a record high rate of
job loss in the Great Recession, with serious employment consequences for job losers,
including very low rates of re-employment and difficulty finding full-time employment. The
average reduction in weekly earnings for job losers making a full-time–full-time transition are
relatively small, with a substantial minority reporting earning more on their new job than on …
Data are used from the 1984–2016 Displaced Workers Surveys (DWS) to investigate the incidence and consequences of job loss, 1981–2015. These data show a record high rate of job loss in the Great Recession, with serious employment consequences for job losers, including very low rates of re-employment and difficulty finding full-time employment. The average reduction in weekly earnings for job losers making a full-time–full-time transition are relatively small, with a substantial minority reporting earning more on their new job than on the lost job. Most of the cost of job loss comes from difficulty finding new full-time employment.
The University of Chicago Press