Uncertainty and Unemployment: The Effects of Aggregate and Sectoral Channels

February 23, 2015

Preview Citation

Format: Chicago

Sangyup Choi, and Prakash Loungani. Uncertainty and Unemployment: The Effects of Aggregate and Sectoral Channels, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2015) accessed September 19, 2024

Disclaimer: This Working Paper should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF.The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy. Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to further debate

Summary

We study the role of uncertainty shocks in explaining unemployment dynamics, separating out the role of aggregate and sectoral channels. Using S&P500 data from the first quarter of 1957 to third quarter of 2014, we construct separate indices to measure aggregate and sectoral uncertainty and compare their effects on the unemployment rate in a standard macroeconomic vector autoregressive (VAR) model. We find that aggregate uncertainty leads to an immediate increase in unemployment, with the impact dissipating within a year. In contrast, sectoral uncertainty has a long-lived impact on unemployment, with the peak impact occurring after two years. The results are consistent with a view that the impact of aggregate uncertainty occurs through a “wait-and-see” mechanism while increased sectoral uncertainty raises unemployment by requiring greater reallocation across sectors.

Subject: Financial crises, Financial markets, Global financial crisis of 2008-2009, Labor, Labor markets, Stock markets, Unemployment, Unemployment rate, Vector autoregression

Keywords: Aggregate uncertainty, Cross-industry volatility, Deviation from the baseline, Global financial crisis of 2008-2009, Great Recession, Labor market, Labor markets, Long-term unemployment, Long-term unemployment rate, Sectoral uncertainty, Stock market, Stock markets, Uncertainty affect unemployment, Uncertainty index, Unemployment, Unemployment fluctuation, Unemployment rate, WP

Publication Details

Pages:

26
Volume:

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DOI:

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Issue:

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Series:

Working Paper No. 2015/036
Stock No:

WPIEA2015036
ISBN:

9781498356305
ISSN:

1018-5941

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