American Economic Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
Earnings Losses of Displaced Workers Revisited
American Economic Review
(pp. 572–89)
Abstract
Earnings losses of Connecticut workers affected by mass layoff are calculated using administrative data. Estimated reductions are initially more than 30 percent and six years later, as much as 15 percent. The Connecticut estimates are smaller than comparable ones from Pennsylvania administrative data but similar to those from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) and Department of Workforce Services (DWS). Earnings reductions in Connecticut and Pennsylvania are concentrated among Unemployment Insurance recipients. An unusually high proportion of Unemployment Insurance beneficiaries in Pennsylvania explains the larger estimated losses relative to other studies. Fixed-effects, random growth, and matching estimators produced similar earnings loss estimates suggesting each is relatively unbiased in this context. (J31, J 63, J65, R23)Citation
Couch, Kenneth A., and Dana W. Placzek. 2010. "Earnings Losses of Displaced Workers Revisited." American Economic Review 100 (1): 572–89. DOI: 10.1257/aer.100.1.572Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- J31 Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
- J63 Labor Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs
- J65 Unemployment Insurance; Severance Pay; Plant Closings
- R23 Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics: Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population; Neighborhood Characteristics