Job Search During the Covid-19 Crisis

39 Pages Posted: 19 May 2020 Last revised: 4 May 2023

See all articles by Lena Hensvik

Lena Hensvik

IFAU - Institute for Labour Market Policy Evaluation

Thomas Le Barbanchon

Bocconi university; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Roland Rathelot

University of Warwick

Multiple version iconThere are 3 versions of this paper

Abstract

This paper measures the job-search responses to the COVID-19 pandemic using realtime data on vacancy postings and ad views on Sweden's largest online job board. First, the labour demand shock in Sweden is as large as in the US, and affects industries and occupations heterogeneously. Second, the scope and direction of search change. Job seekers respond to the shock by searching less intensively and by redirecting their search towards less severely hit occupations, beyond what changes in labour demand would predict. The redirection of job search changes relative hiring costs, and has the potential to amplify labour demand shifts.

Keywords: job vacancies, labour demand shock, search direction, search intensity, coronavirus, COVID-19, online job board

JEL Classification: J22, J23, J21, J62, J63, J64, E24

Suggested Citation

Hensvik, Lena and Le Barbanchon, Thomas and Rathelot, Roland, Job Search During the Covid-19 Crisis. IZA Discussion Paper No. 13237, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3602413 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3602413

Lena Hensvik (Contact Author)

IFAU - Institute for Labour Market Policy Evaluation ( email )

Box 513
751 20 Uppsala
Sweden

Thomas Le Barbanchon

Bocconi university ( email )

Via Sarfatti, 25
Milan, MI 20136
Italy

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) ( email )

London
United Kingdom

Roland Rathelot

University of Warwick ( email )

Gibbet Hill Rd.
Coventry, CV4 8UW
United Kingdom

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