About this event

The 2007-2009 U.S. recession led to large increases in the potential duration of unemployment benefits (PBD), which could decrease job search effort. I measure search effort by job applications on the popular website Careerbuilder.com. Using an event study and nonlinearities in the relationship between PBD and the unemployment rate, I find that a one-week increase in PBD decreases state-level applications by 0.4%, implying that benefit extensions led to a 29% decline in applications for the median state. I find no consistent evidence for greater jobseeker selectivity about jobs. This implies that PBD increases unemployment chiefly through decreased job search effort.

This event will take place in 32L 1.04, 1st Floor Conference Room, LSE, 32 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PH.

The building is labelled on the map.