Unemployment Duration Research Articles

The association between unemployment trajectories and alcohol consumption patterns. Evidence from a large prospective cohort in The Netherlands.

Unemployment is expected to influence alcohol consumption, but studies show mixed results, partly because most studies concentrate on current employment status. However, unemployment could be particularly consequential if it is part of a trajectory of employment precariousness. Moreover, the association between unemployment and alcohol consumption may not be homogeneous across the population, but differ by subgroups (e.g. socioeconomic status). This study longitudinally analyses the association between different employment trajectories and alcohol consumption, and examines if the association is moderated by socioeconomic status (SES), partner status, age and gender. Four waves of data of the Lifelines Cohort study are used. Sample consists of individuals from 18-50 years old, active in the labor market (n = 104,766) from the northern provinces of the Netherlands. Employment trajectories are defined by employment status in each wave, duration of unemployment, and number of exposures to unemployment. Drinking patterns are divided into "abstainers", "moderate drinking" (<1.5 drinks/day), "heavy drinking" (≥1.5 drinks/day) and "binge drinking" (≥5 drinks/occasion; 4 for women). The associations are estimated with multinomial logistic regression models. Results show that recent, long-term unemployment (≥ 6 months) is associated with higher rates of heavy drinking (RRR = 1.26 [95 % CI 1.03-1.54]), whereas short-term unemployment does not show any association with the outcome. Being continuously unemployed throughout the observation period shows a strong association with binge drinking (RRR = 1.43 [95 % CI 1.06-1.93]), as well as reporting 2 or more long unemployment spells (RRR = 1.49 [95 % CI 1.21-1.83]). The group of abstainers (77.95 % women) have significantly lower SES, and poorer health than their peers. For some individuals, recent unemployment increases the likelihood for abstinence (RRR = 1.23 [95 % CI 1.00-1.51]). Evidence suggests that length of unemployment is key in order to grasp its effects in terms of changing drinking patterns.

A review on the elasticity of unemployment duration to the potential duration of unemployment benefits

AbstractIn this paper, I present an exhaustive literature review on the empirical work that estimated the impact of the potential duration of unemployment insurance on unemployment duration, measured in a week‐to‐week elasticity. For each study, I include information on data—county, period of analysis, type of database, gender, and age, estimation—estimation model, unobserved heterogeneity, and source of identification, and average effect. The range of estimates is wide: from 0.02 to 1.3 weeks for each additional week of potential duration. This review suggests that larger estimates belong to studies analyzing North America before the 1990s, Europe in more recent periods, survey data, female, older individuals, using other estimation techniques than survival analysis, or survival analysis that account for unobserved heterogeneity.

Assessment of the Unemployment Situation of Vulnerable Groups in the Labour Market of the Baltic States

The study analyses the unemployment situation of socially vulnerable groups in the Baltic States in the context of the European Union. The analysis of the unemployment rate is based on gender, age and duration of unemployment. Statistical analysis identified the most vulnerable groups in the labour market and those most sensitive to economics fluctuations. The study also evaluated the relationship of economic growth with employment of these groups. The research highlighted that in the Baltic countries, the global financial crisis more significantly affected vulnerable groups, mainly because of the impact of the crisis in 2009–2010. Hence these results differ from the general trend in unemployment rate of the target groups in the countries of the European Union.&#x0D; Unemployment rate at the EU level did not coincide with similar trends observed in the target groups in the Baltic States. In the Baltic States, the unemployment rate of the target groups started to grow earlier and faster than in the EU countries and it started to decrease much earlier than the EU unemployment rate indicators. In addition, in the Baltic countries, the growth of target group unemployment was significantly higher than the EU average. The fast and volatile growth of unemployment within the mentioned target groups shows that they had difficulties adapting to dramatically worsening conditions in the labour market in the Baltic States. The current pandemic situation in comparison to the global financial crisis of 2009–2010 has a less negative effect. The study revealed that unemployment rates in the Baltic States were close to the EU average. The research results also showed that men and the youth are sensitive to economic fluctuations in the Baltic States. On the one hand, unemployed men and the youth tend to more easily enter the labour market during economic upturns. On the other hand, in an economic downturn, these jobseekers face significant integration difficulties into the labour market and become more socially vulnerable.&#x0D; It is important to note that long-term unemployed people belong to the most vulnerable groups. People with low skills or qualifications face multiple barriers to labour market integration. Long-term unemployment leads to a loss of income, an erosion of skills, a higher incidence of health problems and increased household poverty.

Employment status, unemployment duration, and health-related metrics among US adults of prime working age: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2018-2019.

While unemployment has been associated with poor health, few recent studies in the United States have comprehensively assessed associations between employment status (including duration unemployed) and healthcare access, health-related behaviors, and specific health outcomes. We assessed health-related metrics by employment status in 2018-2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System respondents ages 25-54. We calculated the unadjusted prevalence and adjusted prevalence ratios to compare employed workers to respondents who were self-employed, short-term (<12 months) unemployed, long-term unemployed, and unable to work. Adverse health outcomes increased with unemployment duration and were highest for those unable to work. Non-Hispanic Blacks were most likely to be unemployed or unable to work. Short-term unemployment and self-employment were associated with poor healthcare access. Health behaviors and outcomes declined with increasing duration of unemployment and were worst for those unable to work. In the United States, access to affordable healthcare is problematic for both the self-employed and the short-term unemployed. Short-term unemployment is a particularly important locus for intervention and provision of resources to prevent health declines that may hinder re-employment.

Factors Affecting the Psychological Distress among Turkish Midlife White-Collar Unemployed in the Covid-19 Period

This study aimed to examine the relationship between coping strategies, financial difficulties, social support, and psychological stress levels among Turkish midlife white-collar unemployed people in the Covid–19 period. The cross-sectional design and convenience sampling (consisting of 111 unemployed participants) were used in the study. Findings revealed that psychological distress is moderately high for this group of unemployed people. Planning, acceptance, and active coping were the most frequently used problem-focused coping strategies, and self-distraction, self-blame, and venting were the most frequently used emotion-focused coping strategies reported by participants. Significant correlations were found among the participants’ psychological distress, problem-focused coping strategies, social support, financial strain, and sociodemographic characteristics. Higher duration of unemployment, financial difficulties and emotional-focused coping were associated with high psychological stress. On the other hand, older age, increased social support, and problem-focused coping were associated with lower psychological stress levels. These findings provide insight for a future practice involving the development of job loss interventions. The focus should be on identifying individuals at risk based on their characteristics, such as becoming relatively younger, unemployed for a longer time, having limited or no social support, a low level of personal coping resources, and inadequate financial resources. These interventions should seek to engage their social support network, bolster problem-focused coping strategies and financial resources. Future research should be conducted in longitudinal design and different cultures to reveal the change of variables over time and the difference according to cultures.

The Effect of COVID-19 as an Economic Shock on the Gender and Ethnic Gap in Labour Market Outcomes

With more than 29 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the USA and 119 million cases worldwide, the pandemic has affected companies, households and the global economy. We explore the effect of the economic shock which resulted from this specific health event on labour market outcomes, and the changes in labour market disparities between ethnic groups and genders. The results provide evidence of an adverse effect of COVID-19 on labour market outcomes of all demographic groups, a widening gap between the employment prospects of minorities and whites, but no change in the earnings gaps between ethnic groups. We also do not find a deterioration of the differentials between genders, except the increase in the difference in the duration of unemployment between women and men with children. The findings have implications related to the priorities of policy decision-makers when implementing policies to combat ethnic and gender gaps in the labour market. JEL Classification: J70, J71, J01, J15, J23

The effect of education on unemployment duration

AbstractExploiting the variation in education induced by a reform that compelled individuals to obtain additional schooling in Turkey, and using administrative unemployment insurance (UI) records, we show that high‐educated unemployed workers, compared to their low‐educated counterparts, use unemployment benefits longer, and they are less likely to find employment before their benefit periods expire. This suggests education increases one's selectiveness over jobs. We also show benefit generosity impacts the high‐ versus low‐educated differentially. Extended benefits increase low‐educated workers' probability of finding employment more than the high‐educated. Our findings highlight the importance of considering worker attributes when designing the UI system.

Duración del desempleo y la migración en México ante la crisis financiera

This article examines structural breaks in the effect of the unemployment duration for the population of Mexico on the probability of migrating, both internal and internationally. Data from the National Survey of Occupation and Employment for 2007, 2008, and 2010 is used, and estimations are made from both binary and multinomial response models. Furthermore, a Chowtype test is used to estimate structural breaks in the unemployment duration effect after the financial crisis, and sensitivity tests are carried out using different specifications of the migration and unemployment duration variables. The results show that after the crisis the unemployment duration effects on the probability of migrating have been reduced, leading to restrictions on the free mobility of the labor factor

Motivational interviewing: Key ingredients associated with taking a step toward employment.

Objective: This study sought to identify key ingredients of motivational interviewing (MI) associated with taking a step in the direction of competitive employment (CE) for unemployed veterans with serious mental illness (SMI). Method: Data were analyzed from 195 audiotaped MI sessions targeted to employment conducted with 39 veterans with SMI. Sessions were coded and analyzed to identify components of MI practice predictive of taking any step in the direction of CE (e.g., asking for a referral to supported employment or conducting a job search). Predictor variables were (a) counselor MI talk behaviors and adherence to MI technical and relational principles and (b) client intensity and frequency of change talk and sustain talk. Covariates were age, gender, race, duration of unemployment, receipt of disability income, health status, work importance, work confidence, mental health diagnosis, and session number. Generalized estimating equations were used to create multivariate models. Results: After controlling for session number, work importance, work confidence and duration of unemployment, variables significant in the adjusted multivariate model were intensity of client change talk and sustain talk and counselor adherence to MI technical principles of cultivating change talk and softening sustain talk. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Findings suggest that change talk and sustain talk during counseling sessions are associated with taking a step toward employment and that counseling focused on cultivating change talk and softening sustain talk increases the likelihood that unemployed veterans with SMI will take steps toward becoming competitively employed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Evaluation of Quality of Life in the Elderly with Diabetes and Its Related Factors

BackgroundDiabetes is one of the most common disorders in old age and affects the quality of life of the elderly.ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the quality of life in the elderly with diabetes and determine the factors associated with it.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was performed on 130 elderly with diabetes referred to endocrinology clinics affiliated to Zanjan University of Medical Sciences. Sampling was done in an easy and accessible way. Data collection tools included a demographic information questionnaire and a 36-item short-form survey (SF36). Data analysis was performed using SPSS 16 software. For descriptive statistics, mean ± standard deviation and frequency (percentage), and analytical statistics, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were used.Results The majority of participants in the study were female (56.2%), in the age range of 60-74 years (68.5%), and married (70%). The mean total score of quality of life was 46.33±16.45. The mean score of total quality of life was statistically significantly related to age, marital status, place of residence, employment status, duration of diabetes, and level of education (P<0.05). However, there was no statistically significant relationship with gender (P=0.436).ConclusionThe quality of life of the elderly was lower than standard. Older age, loneliness, longer duration of diabetes, rural living, unemployment, and illiteracy were associated with decreased quality of life of the elderly with diabetes; Therefore, it is suggested that policymakers consider the factors identified in this study in future planning to improve the quality of life of elderly with diabetic.

Do employment opportunities decrease for older workers?

ABSTRACT Increasing the labour market participation rates of older workers is a means to secure the sustainability of public finances. However, questions about the effects of job loss of unemployed older workers and their employment prospects remain. This paper investigates why workers, aged 50 and over, have less employment opportunities. Using a competing risks model on British panel data, we examine the chances of re-employment after unemployment spells for older individuals. We find that human capital characteristics and economic incentives play an important role in their chances of getting back to work. We show that the probability of returning to employment after an unemployment spell decreases as workers get older. A decomposition analysis supports the role of age in the unemployment duration gap between ‘older’ and ‘younger’ individuals. The duration of leaving unemployment to employment of older workers would be lower if they will be treated in the same way as the younger ones, which is consistent with elderly employment barriers.

Unemployment and Job Change Affect Future Time Perspective

This paper examines the effects of workers becoming unemployed, unemployment duration, and job change as antecedents on their future time perspective (FTP). Drawing on socioemotional selectivity theory, unemployment theories, and job mobility theory, we hypothesize that becoming unemployed, unemployment duration, and job change to be associated with FTP. We apply propensity score matching to control for potentially confounding covariates and to gain unbiased estimates of treatment effects in a quasi-experimental study comprising 1.261 participants of the German Socioeconomic Panel (SOEP) providing longitudinal data from ten survey waves between 2007 and 2017. The results provide support for effects of unemployment experience and job change on future time perspective.

Study on employability of mechanical engineering graduates from Sunyani Technical University of Ghana

Although the Government of Ghana gives considerable attention to technical education to accelerate national development, some graduates remain unemployed for years after graduation. In this study, employability of mechanical engineering graduates from Sunyani Technical University of Ghana is presented. It assessed the employment status and duration of unemployment of the graduates, identified the factors that hinder their employability and the challenges that require attention prior to graduation of students, and made suggestions for improvement. Respondents of the study were 131 graduates from 2014-2017 graduation years, comprising 50% of graduates from each of the Program options in the department. The sampling techniques used were purposive and stratified random sampling techniques. A questionnaire was the research instrument used for data collection and it was administered using e-mails, WhatsApp and phone calls. The results revealed that the employment status of the graduates was about 84% with the duration of unemployment about 29%, 41% and 19% for one, two and three years after their national service respectively. The main factor hindering employability of the graduates was inadequate practical skills since more attention was given to theory at the expense of practical work. The main challenge which requires attention prior to graduation of students was the lack of job-seeking skills. The Department should therefore, focus more on the practical element of the Programs by increasing the practical hours and partner with industry for curriculum development, more internship opportunities and industrial tours, and organise seminars on job acquisition processes prior to graduation of students to enhance employability of the graduates.

Does a Slim Body Shape Lead to a Stable Job? Analysis from China's Nonagricultural Labor Market

Based on the integrated data of the China General Social Survey (CGSS) from 2010 to 2017, this study observes that body shape – being overweight or underweight – matters for labor market outcomes. Body shape significantly affects the employment opportunities of Chinese employees, and this effect differs by gender and across the occupational hierarchy. Women face both a slim premium and obesity punishment effects. Slim women, those with normal and lower but not excessively lower weight, are more likely to gain long-term employment contracts in the labor market and face a significantly shorter duration of unemployment, while the opposite is observed for overweight individuals. The relationship between women's body size and employment opportunities also varies with occupational class. The obesity penalty is more pronounced in the higher level occupational class, while the slim premium is more obvious in low level occupations. Occupational segregation further magnifies the impact of body shape on women’s employment. The results suggest that the Chinese labor market is highly demanding regarding women's figures, while it is relatively tolerant of men’s figures.

Measuring Returns on Investment in Education: Lessons for Sustainable and Innovative Education Policy

The relationship between education and labor market is significant and complex. Education increases employment opportunities and reduces the chance of occurrence and duration of unemployment. Earnings, among other things, represent private returns on investment in education and are in the center of the analysis of this article. The main aim of this article is to estimate private and social returns on investment in primary, secondary and tertiary education in selected old and new member states of the European Union (EU) by using two methods (Earnings function and Short-cut method) based on the Mincer equation. Results have shown that there is no statistically significant difference between the estimated private and social returns on investment in primary, secondary and tertiary education in groups of old and new EU members. New members converge towards the old members, at least when it comes to returns on investment in these three education levels. The results also indicate the existence of low and negative returns on investment in education in both old and new EU members. Thus, this article with its new findings contributes significantly to the literature that studies the universality of conclusions on returns on investment in education and the methodology that is used.

Does Entrepreneurial Career Choice Lessen the Graduate Unemployment Problem? The Case of Malaysian Graduates

Entrepreneurship has been long regarded as able to lessen the problem of graduate unemployment. This ability of entrepreneurship has been frequently quoted by numerous studies as a motivation of study to engage into the studies of graduate entrepreneurial career choice. Nevertheless, the relationship between the entrepreneurial career choice and graduate unemployment is yet to be explored. This paper aims to estimate the impact of entrepreneurial career choice on the Malaysian graduate unemployment. The targeted population of the present paper was the Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) and Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) graduates. A sample of 1,723 graduates was collected using self-administered questionnaires. The descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation tables and econometrics analysis are employed. Graduate entrepreneurial career choice is found to be unrelated to the chance of being unemployed and unable to reduce the probability of being unemployed among the low employability graduates. Thus, graduate entrepreneurial career choice does not lessen the graduate unemployment problem. However, there is some evidence that entrepreneurial career choice could reduce the unemployment duration and hinder the occurrence of long-term unemployed among the low employability graduates. The Malaysian government policy to combat the graduate unemployment problem could not rely mainly on the entrepreneurial career choice. The graduate entrepreneurial career choice, however, could be relied on reducing the occurrence of long-term unemployment. Future studies are suggested to use the sample of all graduates to validate the findings.

The effect of unemployment duration on reservation wages: Evidence from Belgium

This paper studies the effect of unemployment duration on asking (reservation) wages. We provide new evidence based on unique longitudinal data on unemployed workers in Belgium, who were surveyed about self-reported reservation wages at the start of the unemployment spell, and after 3 and 6 months of unemployment duration. Our estimates suggest that reservation wages decline with unemployment duration by about 0.4 percent per month, or 5 percent per year, and that cross-sectional estimates are biased upward. We find stronger declines among men and among workers who earned high wages in their previous jobs. The paper discusses these findings in the light of learning models and discusses the implications of falling reservation wages for the debate on the effect of unemployment on wages.

Determinants of Unemployment Duration in Iran

Determinants of Unemployment Duration in Iran

Labor market dynamics in urban China and the role of the state sector

This paper studies the effect of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) on the dynamics of the Chinese urban labor market. Using longitudinally matched monthly panel data, we document very low labor force dynamics in the state sector, which leads to a high long-term unemployment rate. We develop and estimate an equilibrium search and matching model with three differences between the state and non-state sectors: labor productivity, labor adjustment cost, and workers’ bargaining power. Counterfactual analysis shows that, among the three channels, reducing the bargaining power of state sector workers is most effective in reducing unemployment duration and unemployment rate.

The Effect of Overeducation on Unemployment Duration in Indonesian

Unemployment has a negative impact on individuals. During the unemployment period, job seekers will use their money or assets savings and as long as the unemployment period is not over, the job seekers will need more money or assets in order to meet their needs during the unemployment period. The open unemployment rate (TPT) in Indonesia is more dominated by people with high school education and above indicating an oversupply of graduates with high education. This oversupply is one of the causes of the mismatch in the level of education or also referred to as overeducation. This study aims to determine the effect of overeducation on unemployment duration in Indonesia. This study uses the National Labor Force Survey Panel (SAKERNAS PANEL 2017) through a survival analysis approach with Cox Proportional Hazard Regression. The results showed that overeducation would extend the length of time someone was looking for work.