Zitatform

Demazière, Didier (2024): In search of a job—But which one? How unemployed people revise their occupational expectations. In: Social Policy and Administration online erschienen am 06.02.2024. DOI:10.1111/spol.13011

Abstract

"Conducting a job search implies the identification of a target—an intended job. However, this assumption has been little studied, and just two main conclusions have been drawn, namely: jobseekers have an incentive to adjust their targets to the jobs available, and returning to work tends to lead to occupational downgrading. This article explores how job search experiences shape and alter targets. Biographical interviews were conducted with 57 unemployed people registered with the French public employment service. Ultimately, all of them revise their occupational expectations as, faced with the uncertainties inherent to the job search and experiencing difficulties in reaching their priority targets, they try to adapt and define more realistic goals. Four contrasting processes of expectation revision are used to track these tensions between desirability and realism. In conclusion, we stress the following facts: that unemployed people are flexible and develop rationales in order to adapt to the labour market; that their experience of failure, alongside advice and beliefs arising in the course of the job search feed directly into these revisions, and that these revisions both vary in magnitude and reflect inequalities in the defining process of target jobs." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

Zitatform

Bauer, Anja, Kristin Keveloh, Mariano Mamertino & Enzo Weber (2023): Competing for Jobs: How COVID-19 Changes Search Behavior in the Labor Market. In: German Economic Review, Jg. 24, H. 4, S. 323-347., 2023-11-13. DOI:10.1515/ger-2021-0010

Abstract

"We provide insights on how job search changed in the Covid-19-crisis by analyzing data from the LinkedIn professional network for Germany. We find that competition among workers for jobs strongly increased – which is due to additional job seekers rather than higher search intensity. Furthermore, the LinkedIn data show that people from industries particularly affected by the crisis applied much more frequently and there had been a substantial shift in the target industries for applications. Finally, we find that at the onset of the Covid-19-crises applications were made significantly more often below and significantly less often above a person’s level of seniority." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © De Gruyter) ((en))

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Carillo-Tudela, Carlos, Leo Kaas & Benjamin Lochner (2023): Matching Through Search Channels. (IAB-Discussion Paper 10/2023), Nürnberg, 85 S. DOI:10.48720/IAB.DP.2310

Abstract

"Firmen und Arbeitnehmer/-innen finden überwiegend über Stellenanzeigen, persönliche Kontaktnetzwerke oder die Bundesagentur für Arbeit zueinander. All diese Suchkanäle tragen dazu bei, Friktionen am Arbeitsmarkt zu verringern. In diesem Papier untersuchen wir, inwieweit diese Suchkanäle unterschiedliche Auswirkungen auf den Arbeitsmarkt haben. Anhand einer neuen Datenverknüpfung aus administrativer Daten und Umfragedaten zeigen wir: (i) Niedriglohnfirmen und Niedriglohnbeziehende finden vermehrt über Netzwerke oder die Bundesagentur für Arbeit zueinander, währendessen Hochlohnfirmen und Hochlohnbeziehende häufiger über Stellenanzeigen zusammenkommen. (ii) Dabei nutzen Firmen Stellenanzeigen vor allem bei der Abwerbung und Gewinnung von Hochlohnbeziehenden. Im Vergleich zu anderen Suchkanälen, werden Stellenanzeigen auch vermehrt von Beschäftigten beim Aufstieg auf der Karriereleiter genutzt. Um die Auswirkungen dieser Beobachtungen auf die aggregierte Beschäftigung, die Löhne und die Arbeitsmarktsortierung zu bewerten, schätzen wir strukturell ein Gleichgewichtsmodell, das sich durch Karriereleitern, zweiseitige Heterogenität, mehrere Suchkanäle und endogene Einstellungsintensität auszeichnet. Die Schätzung zeigt, dass Netzwerke der kosteneffizienteste Kanal sind, der es Firmen ermöglicht, schnell einzustellen, aber auch Arbeitskräfte mit geringeren durchschnittlichen Fähigkeiten anzuziehen. Stellenanzeigen sind der kostspieligste Kanal, erleichtern die Einstellung von Arbeitnehmern/-innen mit höheren Fähigkeiten und sind für die Sortierung zwischen Beschäftigten und Firmen am wichtigsten. In kontrafaktischen Berechnungen zeigt sich, dass obwohl die Bundesagentur für Arbeit die geringste Einstellungswahrscheinlichkeit bietet, ihre hypothetische Abschaffung beträchtliche Folgen hätte. Die Gesamtbeschäftigung würde um mindestens 1,4 Prozent sinken und die Lohnungleichheit steigen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Lochner, Benjamin & Christian Merkl (2023): Wie Männer und Frauen sich bei der Jobsuche unterscheiden: Bewerbungsverhalten kann die Hälfte der bereinigten Verdienstlücke erklären. (IAB-Kurzbericht 8/2023), Nürnberg, 8 S. DOI:10.48720/IAB.KB.2308

Abstract

"Frauen verdienen im Durchschnitt weniger als Männer. Dies wird in der Wissenschaft intensiv analysiert und in der Politik oft debattiert. Dabei findet das geschlechtsspezifische Bewerbungsverhalten bisher kaum Beachtung. Die Analyse detaillierter Betriebsdaten zeigt aber, dass sich Männer und Frauen selbst innerhalb eng definierter Berufe auf Stellen mit unterschiedlichen Eigenschaften bewerben und dass dies einen erheblichen Teil der Verdienstlücke erklärt." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Maibom, Jonas, Nikolaj Harmon, Anita Glenny & Jonas Fluchtmann (2023): Unemployed Job Search across People and over Time: Evidence from Applied-for Jobs. In: Journal of labor economics online erschienen am 06.04.2023, S. 1-40. DOI:10.1086/725165

Abstract

"Using data on applied-for jobs for the universe of Danish UI recipients, we examine variation in job search behavior both across individuals and over time during unemployment spells. We find large differences in the level of applied-for wages across individuals but over time all individuals adjust wages downward in the same way. The decline in applied-for wages over time is descriptively small but economically important in standard models of job search. We find similar results when examining variation in the non-wage characteristics of applied-for jobs and in the search methods used to find them. We discuss implications for theory." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Schmidpeter, Bernhard (2023): Labor Market News and Expectations about Jobs & Earnings. (Working paper / Department of Economics, Johannes Kepler Universität of Linz 2023-14), Linz, 30 S.

Abstract

"Little is known about how workers update expectations about job search and earnings when exposed to labor market news. To identify the impact of news on expectations, I exploit Foxconn's unexpected announcement to build a manufacturing plant in Racine County. Exposure to positive news leads to an increase in expected salary growth at the current firm. Individuals also revise their expectations about outside offers upward, anchoring their beliefs to Foxconn's announced wages. They act on their updated beliefs with a small increase in current consumption. Negative news from a scaled-down plan leads to a revision of expectations back toward baseline." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Vecchi, Michela, Catherine Robinson, Maja Savic & Marina Romiti (2023): Vertical and Horizontal Mismatch in the UK: Are Graduates' Skills a Good Fit for Their Jobs? (NIESR discussion paper 548), London, 39 S.

Abstract

"Understanding the skill mismatch among graduates, its causes and consequences is crucial for an economy as it reveals an inefficient allocation of resources that can lead to a decline in workers' wages and in a country's overall productivity performance. This study contributes to the skill mismatch debate by examining graduates' vertical and horizontal mismatch in the UK. Using the 2017 Annual Population Survey, we introduce a new, objective measure of horizontal mismatch (fit index) and account for skills beyond education. Performance of the fit index is compared with a standard measure of vertical mismatch, that typically refers to graduates employed in non-graduate jobs. We find that approximately 30% of graduates in the UK are employed in non-graduate jobs, while nearly 33% work in fields unrelated to their degree subject. Using information on the skill classification of occupations (SOC2010), we adjust these overall figures controlling for unobservable skills. This allows us to derive six skill groups, each capturing the distance between graduates' skills and those required on the job. At the top of skill distribution, we find graduates who are matched in terms of qualification and skills (44%), followed by those who are only horizontally mismatched, that is those who are employed in an occupation requiring a university degree but whose field of study does not match the requirements of the job (23%). At the bottom of the skill distribution, we find graduates who are overqualified on paper but whose skills are likely to be very close to those required on the job (16%). These graduates are particularly penalized in terms of wages. In fact, our estimates show that they earn approximately 40% less compared to those with a perfect job match. This wage penalty, on the other hand, is substantially lower for graduates who are only horizontally mismatched (approximately 2%). However, although for individuals a pure horizontal mismatch does not impose a strong downward p" (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Zuchuat, Jeremy, Rafael Lalive, Aderonke Osikominu, Lorenzo Pesaresi & Josef Zweimüller (2023): Duration Dependence in Finding a Job: Applications, Interviews, and Job Offers. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 16602), Bonn, 94 S.

Abstract

"The job finding rate declines with the duration of unemployment. While this is a well established fact, the reasons are still disputed. We use monthly search diaries from Swiss public employment offices to shed new light on this issue. Search diaries record all applications sent by job seekers, including the outcome of each application – whether the employer followed up with a job interview and a job offer. Based on more than 600,000 applications sent by 15,000 job seekers, we find that job applications and job interviews decrease, but job offers (after an interview) increase with duration. A model with statistical discrimination by firms and learning from search outcomes by workers replicates these empirical duration patterns closely. The structurally estimated model predicts that 55 percent of the decline in the job finding rate is due to "true" duration dependence, while the remaining 45 percent is due to dynamic selection of the unemployment pool. We also discuss further drivers of the observed duration patterns, such as human capital depreciation, stock-flow matching, depletion of one's personal network, and changes in application targeting or quality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Coraggio, Luca, Marco Pagano, Annalisa Scognamiglio & Joacim Tåg (2022): JAQ of All Trades: Job Mismatch, Firm Productivity and Managerial Quality. (IFN working paper / Research Institute of Industrial Economic 1427), Stockholm, 37 S.

Abstract

"Does the matching between workers and jobs help explain productivity differentials across firms? To address this question we develop a job-worker allocation quality measure (JAQ) by combining employer-employee administrative data with machine learning techniques. The proposed measure is positively and significantly associated with labor earnings over workers' careers. At firm level, it features a robust positive correlation with firm productivity, and with managerial turnover leading to an improvement in the quality and experience of management. JAQ can be constructed for any employer-employee data including workers' occupations, and used to explore the effect of corporate restructuring on workers' allocation and careers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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DellaVigna, Stefano, Jörg Heining, Johannes F. Schmieder & Simon Trenkle (2022): Evidence on Job Search Models from a Survey of Unemployed Workers in Germany. In: The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Jg. 137, H. 2, S. 1181-1232., 2021-09-11. DOI:10.1093/qje/qjab039

Abstract

"Die Wahrscheinlichkeit eine neue Beschäftigung zu finden nimmt für Bezieher von Leistungen aus der Arbeitslosenversicherung in den ersten Monaten der Arbeitslosigkeit zunächst ab, steigt dann aber zum Ende der Bezugsdauer wieder an, um danach erneut abzuflachen. Zahlreiche theoretische Ansätze wurden bisher vorgeschlagen, um dieses Muster zu erklären, jedoch ist dies kaum möglich sofern dafür nur Daten über die Tatsache der Arbeitsaufnahme an sich herangezogen werden. Um die zugrundeliegenden Mechanismen besser zu verstehen, haben wir mittels SMS-Kurznachrichten eine groß angelegte Befragung von Arbeitslosen durchgeführt. Insgesamt wurden über 6.800 Leistungsbezieher zweimal pro Woche über jeweils vier Monate über den zeitlichen Aufwand bei der Suche nach einem neuen Arbeitsplatz befragt. Aufgrund der resultierenden Panelstruktur war es uns nun möglich Erkenntnisse zu sammeln, wie sich dieser zeitliche Aufwand auf individueller Ebene über die Dauer der Arbeitslosigkeit hinweg entwickelt. Unsere drei Hauptergebnisse lauten: 1) Der Suchaufwand verläuft flach zu Beginn der Arbeitslosigkeit. 2) Weiter steigt der Suchaufwand zum Ende der Bezugsdauer an, nimmt im Anschluss daran jedoch wieder ab. 3) Es gibt keine Anzeichen dafür, dass Leistungsbezieher die Aufnahme einer neuen Beschäftigung bewusst an das Ende der Bezugsdauer verzögern. Insbesondere das zweite und das dritte dieser Ergebnisse lassen sich kaum mit den Standardmodellen zur Arbeitssuche basierend auf unbeobachteter Heterogenität bzw. so genannten Storable Offer Modellen erklären. Dagegen können die genannten Ergebnisse gut mittels eines Suchmodells mit Reference Dependence erklärt werden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Woodcock, Simon (2022): The Determinants of Displaced Workers' Wages: Sorting, Matching, Selection, and the Hartz Reforms. (Discussion papers / Simon Fraser University, Department of Economics 2022,04), Burnaby, 90 S.

Abstract

"We present a simple new method to decompose the wage effects of displacement into components due to differences in the way that displaced and non-displaced workers are sorted across higher- and lower-paying employers (a sorting effect), differences in the quality of worker-employer matches they enter into (a matching effect), and differences in their unobservable characteristics (a selection effect). In an extended application, we apply our decomposition to understand how the determinants of displaced workers' wages in Germany changed following the 2003-2005 Hartz reforms. We find that the wages of displaced workers fell substantially after the reforms, and that over 80 percent of the decline was because they found re-employment at lower-paying employers. Sorting into worse matches explains a smaller 5-9 percent of the wage decline experienced by men, and 12-23.5 percent of the female wage decline. Collectively, the sorting and matching channels explain almost all of the post-reform decline in displaced workers' wages, and selection played little role." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Balgová, Mária, Simon Trenkle, Christian Zimpelmann & Nico Pestel (2021): Job Search during a Pandemic Recession: Survey Evidence from the Netherlands. (IZA discussion paper 14180), Bonn, 36 S.

Abstract

"This paper studies job search behavior in the midst of a pandemic recession. We use long-running panel data from the Netherlands (LISS) and complement the core survey with our own COVID-specific module, conducted in June 2020, surveying job search effort of employed as well as unemployed respondents. We estimate an empirical model of job search over the business cycle over the period 2008-2019 to explore the gap between predicted and actual job search behavior in 2020. We find that job search during the pandemic recession differs strongly from previous downturns. The unemployed search significantly less than what we would normally observe during a recession of this size, while the employed search mildly more. Expectations about the duration of the pandemic seem to play a key role in explaining job search effort for the unemployed in 2020. Furthermore, employed subjects affected by changes in employment status due to COVID-19 are more likely to search for a job. Conversely, beliefs about infection risk do not seem to be related to job search in a systematic way." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Christoph, Bernhard & Torsten Lietzmann (2021): Will Accepting Less Bring Success? Job Related Concessions and Welfare Recipients in Germany. In: The social policy blog H. 22.06.2021.

Abstract

"It is often argued that in order to find new employment, the unemployed have to compromise and accept jobs that are inferior (e.g. paying less or requiring a lower qualification) than the jobs they held before becoming unemployed. Making such compromise to find new employment is what we call a job related concession. Our results show that while there might be some truth to this Assertion - in particular with regard to accepting lower paying Jobs - being generally flexible with regard to job search has comparably positive effects without requiring the unemployed to make such compromise. Therefore, we argue that enabling the unemployed to find new occupational perspectives - ideally in combination with training and qualification measures for the new occupation - should be at least as promising as requiring them to make job-related concessions." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gorn, Alexey (2021): The role of headhunters in wage inequality: It's all about matching. In: Review of Economic Dynamics, Jg. 40, S. 309-346. DOI:10.1016/j.red.2020.10.006

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Heller, Sara B. & Judd B. Kessler (2021): The Effects of Letters of Recommendation in the Youth Labor Market. (NBER working paper 29579), Cambridge, Mass, 43 S. DOI:10.3386/w29579

Abstract

"Youth employment has been near historic lows in recent years, and racial gaps persist. This paper tests whether information frictions limit young people's labor market success with a field experiment involving over 43,000 youth in New York City. We build software that allows employers to quickly and easily produce letters of recommendation for randomly selected youth who worked under their supervision during a summer youth employment program. We then send these letters to nearly 9,000 youth over two years. Being sent a letter generates a 3 percentage point (4.5 percent) increase in employment the following year, with both employment and earnings increases persisting over the two-year follow-up period. By posting our own job advertisement, we document that while treatment youth do use the letters in applications, there is no evidence of other supply-side responses (i.e., no increased job search, motivation, or confidence); effects appear to be driven by the demand side. Labor market benefits accrue primarily to racial and ethnic minorities, suggesting frictions may contribute to racial employment gaps. But improved employment may also hamper on-time high school graduation. Additional evidence indicates that letters help improve job match quality. Results suggest that expanding the availability of credible signals about young workers—particularly for those not on the margin of graduating high school—could improve the efficiency of the youth labor market." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kröll, Claudia, Stephan Nüesch & J. Nils Foege (2021): Flexible work practices and organizational attractiveness in Germany. The mediating role of anticipated organizational support. In: The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Jg. 32, H. 3, S. 543-572. DOI:10.1080/09585192.2018.1479876

Abstract

"This study analyzes how flexible work practices (FWPs) such as flexible work schedules, telecommuting, and sabbaticals affect the organizational attractiveness of companies to job seekers in the German job market. We apply conservation of resource theory to propose that FWPs are positively related to perceived organizational attractiveness. Furthermore, we use organizational support theory to suggest that this link is mediated by job seekers' anticipated organizational support. We test our predictions using two complementary studies among German job seekers: A field study (N = 188) at two job fairs and an online scenario experiment (N = 469). Our findings indicate that flexible work practices, in particular flexible work schedules and sabbaticals, significantly increase organizational attractiveness as perceived by job seekers and that these effects are indeed mediated by anticipated organizational support. Our results further suggest that this link is independent of job seekers' attitudes towards FWPs and that the effect of sabbaticals is stronger than the effect of either flexible work schedules or telecommuting." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Marinescu, Ioana & Daphne Skandalis (2021): Unemployment Insurance and Job Search Behavior. In: The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Jg. 136, H. 2, S. 887-931. DOI:10.1093/qje/qjaa037

Abstract

"How does unemployment insurance (UI) affect unemployed workers’ search behavior? Search models predict that until benefit exhaustion, UI depresses job search effort and increases reservation wages. Over an unemployment spell, search effort should increase up to benefit exhaustion and stay high thereafter. Meanwhile, reservation wages should decrease up to benefit exhaustion and stay low thereafter. To test these predictions, we link administrative registers to data on job search behavior from a major online job search platform in France. We follow over 400,000 workers, as long as they remain unemployed. We analyze the changes in search behavior around benefits exhaustion and take two steps to isolate the individual response to unemployment benefits. First, our longitudinal data allows us to correct for changes in sample composition over the spell. Second, we exploit data on workers eligible for 12–24 months of UI as well as workers ineligible for UI, to control for behavior changes over the unemployment spell that are independent of UI. Our results confirm the predictions of search models. We find that search effort (the number of job applications) increases by at least 50% during the year preceding benefits exhaustion and remains high thereafter. The target monthly wage decreases by at least 2.4% during the year preceding benefits exhaustion and remains low thereafter. In addition, we provide evidence for duration dependence: workers decrease the wage they target by 1.5% over each year of unemployment, irrespective of their UI status." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Michau, Jean-Baptiste (2021): On the provision of insurance against search-induced wage fluctuations. In: The Scandinavian journal of economics, Jg. 123, H. 1, S. 382-414. DOI:10.1111/sjoe.12401

Abstract

"Should workers be provided with insurance against search-induced wage fluctuations? To answer this question, I rely on numerical simulations of a model of on-the-job search and precautionary savings. The model is calibrated to low skilled workers in the U.S. The extent of insurance is determined by the degree of progressivity of a non-linear transfer schedule. The fundamental trade-off is that a more generous provision of insurance reduces incentives to search for better paying jobs, which increases the cost of providing insurance. I show that progressivity raises the search intensity of unemployed worker, which reduces the equilibrium rate of unemployment, but lowers the search intensity of employed job seekers, which reduces the output level. I also solve numerically for the optimal non-linear transfer schedule. The optimal policy is to provide little insurance up to a monthly income level of $1350, such as to preserve incentives to move up the wage ladder, and nearly full insurance above $1450. This policy reduces the standard deviation of labor income net of transfers by 34% and generates a consumption-equivalent welfare gain of 0.7%. The absence of private savings does not fundamentally change the shape of the optimal transfer function, but tilts the optimal policy towards more insurance, at the expense of a less efficient allocation of workers across jobs." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

Zitatform

Bauer, Anja, Kristin Keveloh, Mariano Mamertino & Enzo Weber (2020): Competing for jobs: How COVID-19 changes search behaviour in the labour market. (IAB-Discussion Paper 33/2020), Nürnberg, 21 S.

Abstract

"Bislang ist wenig darüber bekannt, wie die Coronakrise die Suchprozesse auf dem Arbeitsmarkt verändert hat. Durch eine Analyse von Daten aus dem beruflichen Netzwerk LinkedIn für Deutschland erhalten wir Erkenntnisse zu einer Veränderung der Konkurrenz am Arbeitsmarkt, einer Umverteilung von Bewerbungen und einer möglichen Verschiebung in Richtung niedrigerer Karrierestufen. Wir stellen fest, dass der Wettbewerb unter den Arbeitnehmern um Arbeitsplätze stark zugenommen hat. Die Daten lassen den Rückschluss zu, dass dies eher auf zusätzliche Arbeitssuchende als auf eine höhere Suchintensität zurückgeht. Darüber hinaus zeigen die LinkedIn-Daten, dass sich Personen aus von der Krise besonders betroffenen Branchen sehr viel häufiger bewerben und dass sich die Zielbranchen für Bewerbungen erheblich verschoben haben. Schließlich stellen wir fest, dass sich Personen während der Krise deutlich häufiger unterhalb und deutlich seltener oberhalb der eigenen Karrierestufe beworben haben." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Braun, Christine, Bryan Engelhardt, Benjamin Griffy & Peter Rupert (2020): Testing the independence of job arrival rates and wage offers. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 63. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2020.101804

Abstract

"Is the arrival rate of a job independent of the wage that it pays? We answer this question by testing whether unemployment insurance alters the job finding rate differentially across the wage distribution. To do this, we use a Mixed Proportional Hazard Competing Risk Model in which we classify quantiles of the wage distribution as competing risks faced by searching unemployed workers. Allowing for flexible unobserved heterogeneity across spells, we find that unemployment insurance increases the likelihood that a searcher matches to higher paying jobs relative to low or medium paying jobs, rejecting the notion that wage offers and job arrival rates are independent. We show that dependence between wages and job offer arrival rates explains 9% of the increase in the duration of unemployment associated with unemployment insurance." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2020 Elsevier) ((en))