Briefing

How Did Pandemic UI Benefits Affect Employment Recovery in Local Industry Markets?


Abstract: We analyze the employment recovery of low-wage establishments relative to the employment recovery of high-wage establishments within local labor markets, and we find a slower recovery in low-wage establishments. We associate the difference with the expanded generosity of pandemic unemployment insurance (UI) supplements, which have a larger negative effect on the job-filling rate of low-paying establishments. We use a model of labor search to translate our establishment-level observations into a disincentive effect of pandemic UI benefits at the worker level.

Keywords: COVID 19; Unemployment Insurance (UI); labor market; low-wage labor markets;

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Bibliographic Information

Provider: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

Part of Series: Richmond Fed Economic Brief

Publication Date: 2022-11

Volume: 22

Issue: 44