How local are labour markets? Evidence from a spatial job search model

"This paper uses data on very small UK geographies to investigate the effective size of local labour markets. Our approach treats geographic space as continuous, as opposed to a collection of nonoverlapping administrative units, thus avoiding problems of mismeasurement of local labour markets e...

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Main Authors: Manning, Alan, Petrongolo, Barbara
Institution:ETUI-European Trade Union Institute
Format: TEXT
Language:English
Published: London 2011
LSE
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.labourline.org/KENTIKA-19124789124919429619-How-local-are-labour-markets?-.htm
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author Manning, Alan
Petrongolo, Barbara
author_facet Manning, Alan
Petrongolo, Barbara
collection Library items
description "This paper uses data on very small UK geographies to investigate the effective size of local labour markets. Our approach treats geographic space as continuous, as opposed to a collection of nonoverlapping administrative units, thus avoiding problems of mismeasurement of local labour markets encountered in previous work. We develop a theory of job search across space that allows us to estimate a matching process with a very large number of areas. Estimates of this model show that the cost of distance is relatively high - the utility of being offered a job decays at exponential rate around 0.3 with distance (in km) to the job - so that labour markets are indeed quite ‘local’. Also, workers are discouraged from applying to jobs in areas where they expect relatively strong competition from other jobseekers. The estimated model replicates fairly accurately actual commuting patterns across neighbourhoods, although it tends to underpredict the proportion of individuals who live and work in the same ward. Finally, we find that, despite the fact that labour markets are relatively ‘local’, local development policies are fairly ineffective in raising the local unemployment outflow, because labour markets overlap, and the associated ripple effects in applications largely dilute the impact of local stimulus across space."
format TEXT
geographic United Kingdom
id 19124789124919429619_d3ec2278f0754744b6151fee3d068d25
institution ETUI-European Trade Union Institute
is_hierarchy_id 19124789124919429619_d3ec2278f0754744b6151fee3d068d25
is_hierarchy_title How local are labour markets? Evidence from a spatial job search model
language English
physical 48 p.
Digital
publishDate 2011
publisher London
LSE
spellingShingle Manning, Alan
Petrongolo, Barbara
geographical aspect
job searching
labour market
local level
How local are labour markets? Evidence from a spatial job search model
thumbnail https://www.labourline.org/Image_prev.jpg?Archive=100101392838
title How local are labour markets? Evidence from a spatial job search model
topic geographical aspect
job searching
labour market
local level
url https://www.labourline.org/KENTIKA-19124789124919429619-How-local-are-labour-markets?-.htm