Worker churn in the cross section and over time: New evidence from Germany

Bachmann R, Bayer C, Merkl C, Seth S, Stüber H, Wellschmied F (2021)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2021

Journal

Journal of Monetary Economics Elsevier

DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoneco.2020.05.003

Abstract

Worker churn is procyclical in the German labor market. We study the plant-level connection of churn and employment growth using the new Administrative Wage and Labor Market Flow Panel from 1975 to 2014. Churn is V-shaped in employment growth. Through analyzing this pattern by worker skill, age, and tenure, we establish that churn is unlikely to result from plant reorganization but rather from uncertainty about match quality. In a dynamic labor demand framework with a time-to-hire friction, churn can be interpreted as a manifestation of idiosyncratically stochastic separation shocks. These shocks become larger and more predictable during booms, leading to procyclical churn.

Authors with CRIS profile

Christian Merkl Lehrstuhl für Volkswirtschaftslehre, insbesondere Makroökonomik Heiko Stüber Lehrstuhl für Volkswirtschaftslehre, insbesondere Makroökonomik

Related research project(s)

Wages, Heterogeneities, and Labor Market Dynamics SPP 1764: Der deutsche Arbeitsmarkt in der Globalisierung: Herausforderungen durch Handel, Technologie und Demografie Aug. 1, 2014 - Dec. 31, 2020

Involved external institutions

University of Notre Dame du Lac US United States (USA) (US) Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) ES Spain (ES) Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn DE Germany (DE) Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB) der Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA) DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Bachmann, R., Bayer, C., Merkl, C., Seth, S., Stüber, H., & Wellschmied, F. (2021). Worker churn in the cross section and over time: New evidence from Germany. Journal of Monetary Economics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmoneco.2020.05.003

MLA:

Bachmann, Rüdiger, et al. "Worker churn in the cross section and over time: New evidence from Germany." Journal of Monetary Economics (2021).

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