Differences in skill loss during unemployment across industries and occupations

Abstract

Starting with Ljungqvist and Sargent (1998) and Pissarides (1992), the search and matching literature has found that skill loss occurring during unemployment has important effects on macroeconomic models of unemployment. This paper presents some evidence that the rate of skill loss varies across occupations and industries. Occupations and industries that require more skills experience higher rates of human capital decay. These findings have important implications for models of equilibrium unemployment, in particular for mismatch unemployment and the optimal reallocation of workers across sectors.