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The great recession in the UK labour market : a transatlantic perspective

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Elsby, Michael W. L. and Smith, Jennifer C. (2010) The great recession in the UK labour market : a transatlantic perspective. Working Paper. Coventry: University of Warwick. Dept. of Economics. Warwick economics research paper series (TWERPS), Vol.2010 (No.945).

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Abstract

The increase in unemployment in the United Kingdom that accompanied the Great Recession has been conspicuous by its moderation. The rise in joblessness is dwarfed by the recent experience of the United States, by past recessionary episodes in the U.K. and by the contraction in GDP in the U.K. Increased rates of job loss have played a dominant role in shaping the rise in British unemployment. Unemployment duration has not increased to the levels seen in previous recessions, in contrast to the U.S. where duration substantially exceeds previous peaks. Looking forward, the U.K. labour market appears to have adjusted fully to the shocks that prompted the recession. Signs of reductions in match efficiency witnessed recently in the U.S. are not mirrored in the U.K. In contrast, while long-term unemployment currently remains well below historical levels, recent estimates of job finding rates suggest that it has the potential to rise much further. Thus, a timely recovery in aggregate demand will play an important role in averting persistently high unemployment in the future.

Item Type:

Working or Discussion Paper (Working Paper)

Subjects:

H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor

Divisions:

Faculty of Social Sciences > Economics

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):

Unemployment -- Great Britain -- History -- 21st century, Unemployment -- United States -- History -- 21st century, Global Financial Crisis, 2008-2009, Recessions -- Great Britain -- History

Series Name:

Warwick economics research paper series (TWERPS)

Publisher:

University of Warwick. Dept. of Economics

Place of Publication:

Coventry

Official Date:

2010

Dates:

Date	Event
2010	Published

Volume:

Vol.2010

Number:

No.945

Status:

Not Peer Reviewed

Access rights to Published version:

Open Access

References:

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