Declining Labor Turnover and Turbulence

Posted: 30 Sep 2011 Last revised: 7 Aug 2015

See all articles by Shigeru Fujita

Shigeru Fujita

Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

Multiple version iconThere are 4 versions of this paper

Date Written: September 1, 2011

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to identify possible sources of the secular decline in the aggregate job separation rate over the last three decades. The author first shows that aging of the labor force alone cannot account for the entire decline. To explore other sources, he uses a simple labor matching model with two types of workers, experienced and inexperienced, where the former type faces a risk of skill obsolescence during unemployment. When the skill depreciation occurs, the worker is required to restart his career and thus suffers a drop in earnings. The author shows that a higher skill depreciation risk results in a lower aggregate separation rate and a smaller earnings loss. The key mechanisms are that the experienced workers accept lower wages in exchange for keeping the job and that the reluctance to separate from the job produces a larger mass of low-quality matches. He also presents empirical evidence consistent with these predictions.

Keywords: Separation Rate, Earnings Losses, Turbulence

JEL Classification: E24, J31, J64

Suggested Citation

Fujita, Shigeru, Declining Labor Turnover and Turbulence (September 1, 2011). FRB of Philadelphia Working Paper No. 11-44, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1934992 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1934992

Shigeru Fujita (Contact Author)

Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia ( email )

Ten Independence Mall
Philadelphia, PA 19106-1574
United States

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