The Colocation Friction: Dual-Earner Job Search, Migration, and Labor Market Outcomes

Hanno Foerster and Robert Ulbricht

No 1103, Boston College Working Papers in Economics from Boston College Department of Economics

Abstract: We develop a spatial directed search model to study job search and migration among dual-earner households. Using the model, we decompose observed gender gaps into exogenous gender differences, which are amplified by a “colocation friction” that is unique to dual-earner households. Estimated for the U.S. labor market, the colocation friction reduces women’s long-term migration gains by 19% and discourages mobility, particularly among “power couples”. The rise of remote work mitigates this friction, cutting average earnings losses by up to 50%.

Keywords: dual-earner job search; gender inequality; migration; remote work; search friction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E24 J16 J61 J64 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-11-22
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dge, nep-lab, nep-mac and nep-mig
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:boc:bocoec:1103

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