The Labor Market Four Years Into the Crisis: Assessing Structural Explanations

Jesse Rothstein

Department of Economics, Working Paper Series from Department of Economics, Institute for Business and Economic Research, UC Berkeley

Abstract: Four years after the beginning of the Great Recession, the labor market remains historically weak. Many observers have concluded that “structural” impediments to recovery bear some of the blame. This paper reviews such structural explanations. I find that there is little evidence supporting these hypotheses, and that the bulk of the evidence is more consistent with the hypothesis that continued poor performance is primarily attributable to shortfalls in the aggregate demand for labor.

Keywords: Social and Behavioral Sciences; Great Recession; Labor Market (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-03-26
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (45)

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Journal Article: The Labor Market Four Years into the Crisis: Assessing Structural Explanations (2012)
Working Paper: The Labor Market Four Years Into the Crisis: Assessing Structural Explanations (2012)
Working Paper: The Labor Market Four Years Into the Crisis: Assessing Structural Explanations (2012)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cdl:econwp:qt2x576316

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