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Is Unemployment Structural or Cyclical? Main Features of Job Matching in the EU after the Crisis

Author

Listed:
  • Arpaia, Alfonso

    (European Commission)

  • Kiss, Aron

    (European Commission)

  • Turrini, Alessandro

    (European Commission)

Abstract
The paper sheds light on developments in labour market matching in the EU after the crisis. First, it analyses the main features of the Beveridge curve and frictional unemployment in EU countries, with a view to isolate temporary changes in the vacancy-unemployment relationship from structural shifts affecting the efficiency of labour market matching. Second, it explores the main drivers of job matching efficiency, notably with a view to gauge whether mismatches became more serious across skills, economic sectors, or geographical locations and to explore the role of the policy setting. It emerges that labour market matching deteriorated after the crisis, but with a great deal of heterogeneity across EU countries. Divergence across countries increased. Matching deteriorated most in countries most affected by current account reversals and the debt crisis. The lengthening of unemployment spells appears to be a significant driver of matching efficiency especially after the crisis, while skill and sectoral mismatches also played a role. Active labour market policies are associated with a higher matching efficiency and some support is found to the hypothesis that more generous unemployment benefits reduce matching efficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Arpaia, Alfonso & Kiss, Aron & Turrini, Alessandro, 2014. "Is Unemployment Structural or Cyclical? Main Features of Job Matching in the EU after the Crisis," IZA Policy Papers 91, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izapps:pp91
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Cited by:

    1. Sergio Destefanis & Matteo Fragetta & Giuseppe Mastromatteo & Nazzareno Ruggiero, 2020. "The Beveridge curve in the OECD before and after the great recession," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 10(3), pages 411-436, September.
    2. Sergio Destefanis & Matteo Fragetta & Nazzareno Ruggiero, 2023. "Active and passive labour-market policies: the outlook from the Beveridge curve," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(55), pages 6538-6550, November.
    3. Anna Batyra & David de la Croix & Olivier Pierrard & Henri Sneessens, 2016. "Structural changes in the labor market and the rise of early retirement in Europe," DEM Discussion Paper Series 16-13, Department of Economics at the University of Luxembourg.
    4. Andrea Brandolini & Francesca Carta & Francesco D'Amuri, 2016. "A Feasible Unemployment-Based Shock Absorber for the Euro Area," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(5), pages 1123-1141, September.
    5. Dany-Knedlik, Geraldine & Holtemöller, Oliver, 2017. "Inflation dynamics during the financial crisis in Europe: Cross-sectional identification of long-run inflation expectations," IWH Discussion Papers 10/2017, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
    6. Romeo-Victor IONESCU, 2015. "European Economy Vs The Trap Of The Europe 2020 Strategy," EURINT, Centre for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, vol. 2, pages 215-233.
    7. Heimberger, Philipp & Kapeller, Jakob & Schütz, Bernhard, 2017. "The NAIRU determinants: What’s structural about unemployment in Europe?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 883-908.
    8. Hugo Erken & Eric van Loon & Wouter Verbeek, 2015. "Mismatch on the Dutch labour market in the Great Recession," CPB Discussion Paper 303.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    9. Miyamoto Hiroaki & Suphaphiphat Nujin, 2021. "Mitigating Long-term Unemployment in Europe," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Sciendo & Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 11(1), pages 1-27, May.
    10. Berhe Mekonnen Beyene and & Tsegay Gebrekidan Tekleselassie, 2018. "The State, Determinants, and Consequences of Skills Mismatch in the Ethiopian Labour Market," Working Papers 021, Policy Studies Institute.
    11. Akalbeo, Benard & Martinez-Vazquez, Jorge & Yedgenov, Bauyrzhan, 2023. "Fiscal decentralization and structural versus cyclical unemployment levels," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    12. Baas, Timo & Belke, Ansgar, 2017. "Oil price shocks, monetary policy and current account imbalances within a currency union," CEPS Papers 13334, Centre for European Policy Studies.
    13. Vansteenkiste, Isabel, 2017. "Did the crisis permanently scar the Portuguese labour market? Evidence from a Markov-switching Beveridge curve analysis," Working Paper Series 2043, European Central Bank.
    14. Hugo Erken & Eric Loon & Wouter Verbeek, 2015. "Mismatch on the Dutch Labour Market in the Great Recession," De Economist, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 435-459, December.
    15. Dellis, Konstantinos & Sondermann, David & Vansteenkiste, Isabel, 2017. "Determinants of FDI inflows in advanced economies: Does the quality of economic structures matter?," Working Paper Series 2066, European Central Bank.
    16. Salwaty Jamaludin & Kamarul Hidayah Abdul Hamid & Nazurah Abdul Malek & Muhammad Zaheer Khan & Sharul Shahida Shakrein Safian & Norhasimah Shaharuddin, 2023. "A Study on the Matching Efficiency of Malaysia's Labor Market during the Covid-19 Pandemic using the DEA-Malmquist Productivity Index," Information Management and Business Review, AMH International, vol. 15(4), pages 1-11.
    17. Hugo Erken & Eric van Loon & Wouter Verbeek, 2015. "Mismatch on the Dutch labour market in the Great Recession," CPB Discussion Paper 303, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    cyclical unemployment; structural unemployment; mismatch;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles

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