The Establishment-Level Behavior of Vacancies and Hiring

Steven Davis, Jason Faberman (jfaberman@frbchi.org) and John Haltiwanger

No 16265, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: This paper is the first to study vacancies, hires, and vacancy yields at the establishment level in the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, a large sample of U.S. employers. To interpret the data, we develop a simple model that identifies the flow of new vacancies and the job-filling rate for vacant positions. The fill rate moves counter to aggregate employment but rises steeply with employer growth rates in the cross section. It falls with employer size, rises with worker turnover rates, and varies by a factor of four across major industry groups. We also develop evidence that the employer-level hiring technology exhibits mild increasing returns in vacancies, and that employers rely heavily on other instruments, in addition to vacancies, as they vary hires. Building from our evidence and a generalized matching function, we construct a new index of recruiting intensity (per vacancy). Recruiting intensity partly explains the recent breakdown in the standard matching function, delivers a better-fitting empirical Beveridge Curve, and accounts for a large share of fluctuations in aggregate hires. Our evidence and analysis provide useful inputs for assessing, developing and calibrating theoretical models of search, matching and hiring in the labor market.

JEL-codes: D21 E24 J63 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-bec and nep-lab
Note: EFG LS
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (67)

Published as Steven J. Davis & R. Jason Faberman & John C. Haltiwanger, 2013. "The Establishment-Level Behavior of Vacancies and Hiring," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 128(2), pages 581-622.

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Related works:
Journal Article: The Establishment-Level Behavior of Vacancies and Hiring (2013)
Working Paper: The establishment-level behavior of vacancies and hiring (2009)
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