Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Title: Job Search During a Pandemic Recession:Survey Evidence From the Netherlands
Author-Name: Maria Balgova
Author-Email: 
Author-Name: Simon Trenkle
Author-Email: trenkle@iza.org 
Author-Name: Christian Zimpelmann
Author-Email: christian.zimpelmann@uni-bonn.de
Author-Name: Nico Pestel
Author-Email:


Classification-JEL: J21, J64, J68
Keywords: COVID-19, job search, labor supply, survey

Abstract: This paper studies job search behavior in the midst of a pandemic re-
cession. We use long-running panel data from the Netherlands (LISS) and
complement the core survey with our own COVID-specific module, con-
ducted in June 2020, surveying job search eort of employed as well as un-
employed respondents. We estimate an empirical model of job search over
the business cycle over the period 2008{2019 to explore the gap between
predicted and actual job search behavior in 2020. We find that job search
during the pandemic recession diers strongly from previous downturns.
The unemployed search signicantly less than what we would normally
observe during a recession of this size. For the employed, the propensity
to search is even greater than what we would expect, but those who do
search make significantly fewer job applications. Expectations about the
duration of the pandemic seem to play a key role in explaining job search
eort for the unemployed in 2020. Furthermore, employed individuals
whose work situation has been aected by COVID-19 are searching more
actively for a new job.

Note: 
Length: 40
Creation-Date: 2021-10
Revision-Date: 
File-URL: https://www.crctr224.de/research/discussion-papers/archive/dp320
File-Format: application/pdf
Handle: RePEc:bon:boncrc:CRCTR224_2021_320