Working Paper

The Intensity of Job Search and Search Duration

Abstract: We use micro data on applications to job openings by individuals on a job search website to study the relationship between search intensity and search duration. Our data allow us to control for several factors that can affect the measured relationship between intensity and duration, including the composition of job seekers and changes in the number of available job openings over the duration of search. We find that a job seeker sends fewer applications per week as search continues. We also find that job seekers who search on the website longer tend to send more applications in every period. We attribute this finding to job seeker heterogeneity. Controlling for the local stock of vacancies does little to affect the result, mainly because job seekers continue to apply to older vacancies well into their search spell.

Keywords: Job applications; vacancies; labor market search effort; search duration;

JEL Classification: E24; J24; J31;

Bibliographic Information

Provider: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

Part of Series: Working Paper

Publication Date: 2014-05-15

Number: 14-12

Pages: 56 pages