Job search during the COVID-19 crisis

•In Sweden, new vacancy postings drop by 40% during the 3 months after the COVID-19 outbreak.•Job seekers decreases their search intensity by 15% during the 3 months after the COVID-19 outbreak.•Vacancy-level tightness increases by 25% during the 3 months after the COVID-19 outbreak.•Job seekers red...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of public economics Vol. 194; p. 104349
Main Authors: Hensvik, Lena, Le Barbanchon, Thomas, Rathelot, Roland
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier B.V 01.02.2021
Subjects:
Coronavirus
Job vacancies
Labour demand shock
Online job board
Search direction
Search intensity
Search direction
J63
E24
J62
J21
J64
J23
J22
Online job board
Search intensity
Coronavirus
Job vacancies
Labour demand shock
ISSN:0047-2727, 1879-2316, 1879-2316
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:•In Sweden, new vacancy postings drop by 40% during the 3 months after the COVID-19 outbreak.•Job seekers decreases their search intensity by 15% during the 3 months after the COVID-19 outbreak.•Vacancy-level tightness increases by 25% during the 3 months after the COVID-19 outbreak.•Job seekers redirect their search towards less severely hit occupations. This paper measures the job-search responses to the COVID-19 pandemic using real-time data on vacancy postings and job ad views on Sweden’s largest online job board. First, new vacancy postings drop by 40%, similar to the US. Second, job seekers respond by searching less intensively, to the extent that effective labour market tightness increases during the first three months after the COVID outbreak. Third, they redirect their search towards less severely hit occupations, beyond what changes in vacancies would predict. Overall, these job-search responses have the potential to amplify the labour demand shock.
ISSN:0047-2727
1879-2316
1879-2316
DOI:10.1016/j.jpubeco.2020.104349