The Role of Unemployment in the Rise in Alternative Work Arrangements

Lawrence Katz and Alan Krueger

American Economic Review, 2017, vol. 107, issue 5, 388-92

Abstract: The share of U.S. workers in alternative work arrangements has increased substantially in recent decades. Micro longitudinal analyses show that unemployed workers are much more likely to transition into alternative work arrangements than other workers. Macro time-series evidence shows that weak labor market conditions lead to an increase in non-traditional work. But the estimated magnitudes imply that the Great Recession and high unemployment in the 2000s can account for only a modest part of the rise in alternative work. Secular factors associated with rising inequality and technological changes making it easier to contract out work appear to be the driving forces.

JEL-codes: E24 E32 J22 J24 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
Note: DOI: 10.1257/aer.p20171092
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (50)

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