Search Frictions, Labor Supply, and the Asymmetric Business Cycle

Domenico Ferraro and Giuseppe Fiori

No 1355, International Finance Discussion Papers from Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.)

Abstract: We develop a business cycle model with search frictions in the labor market and a labor supply decision along the extensive margin that yields cyclical asymmetry between peaks and troughs of the unemployment rate and symmetric fluctuations of the labor force participation rate as in the U.S. data. We calibrate the model and find that cyclical changes in the extent of search frictions are solely responsible for the peak-trough asymmetry. Participation decisions do not generate asymmetry but contribute to the fluctuations in search frictions by changing the size and composition of the pool of job seekers, which in turn affects the tightness ratio and thereby slack in the labor market. The participation rate would be counterfactually asymmetric absent labor supply responses to shocks.

Keywords: Asymmetric business cycles; Labor supply; Search frictions; Employment; Unemployment rate; Labor force participation rate (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E24 E32 J63 J64 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022-08-16
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dge and nep-lab
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Journal Article: Search Frictions, Labor Supply, and the Asymmetric Business Cycle (2023)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:fip:fedgif:1355

DOI: 10.17016/IFDP.2022.1355

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