Not Working At Work: Loafing, Unemployment and Labor Productivity

Daniel S. Hamermesh, Michael Burda and Katie R. Genadek

No 10712, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: Using the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) 2003-12, we estimate time spent by workers in non-work while on the job. Non-work time is substantial and varies positively with the local unemployment rate. While the average time spent by workers in non-work conditional on any positive non-work rises with the unemployment rate, the fraction of workers who report time in non-work varies pro-cyclically, declining in recessions. These results are consistent with a model in which heterogeneous workers are paid efficiency wages to refrain from loafing on the job. That model correctly predicts relationships of the incidence and conditional amounts of non-work with wage rates and measures of unemployment benefits in state data linked to the ATUS, and it is consistent with observed occupational differences in non-work.

Keywords: Time use; Non-work; Loafing; Shirking; Efficiency wage; Labor productivity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E24 J22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eff, nep-hrm, nep-lma, nep-ltv and nep-mac
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Not Working at Work: Loafing, Unemployment and Labor Productivity (2016)
Working Paper: Not Working at Work: Loafing, Unemployment and Labor Productivity (2015)
Working Paper: Not working at work: Loafing, unemployment and labor productivity (2015)
Working Paper: Not Working at Work: Loafing, Unemployment and Labor Productivity (2015)
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