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Nowcasting Unemployment Rates with Google Searches: Evidence from the Visegrad Group Countries

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  • Jaroslav Pavlicek
  • Ladislav Kristoufek

Abstract

The online activity of Internet users has repeatedly been shown to provide a rich information set for various research fields. We focus on job-related searches on Google and their possible usefulness in the region of the Visegrad Group - the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. Even for rather small economies, the online searches of inhabitants can be successfully utilized for macroeconomic predictions. Specifically, we study unemployment rates and their interconnection with job-related searches. We show that Google searches enhance nowcasting models of unemployment rates for the Czech Republic and Hungary whereas for Poland and Slovakia, the results are mixed.

Suggested Citation

  • Jaroslav Pavlicek & Ladislav Kristoufek, 2015. "Nowcasting Unemployment Rates with Google Searches: Evidence from the Visegrad Group Countries," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(5), pages 1-11, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0127084
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127084
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    Cited by:

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    2. Federico Botta & Helen Susannah Moat & Tobias Preis, 2020. "Measuring the size of a crowd using Instagram," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 47(9), pages 1690-1703, November.
    3. Tierney, Heather L.R. & Kim, Jiyoon (June) & Nazarov, Zafar, 2018. "The Effects of Temporal Aggregation on Search Engine Data," MPRA Paper 84474, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Nakamura, Nobuyuki & Suzuki, Aya, 2021. "COVID-19 and the intentions to migrate from developing countries: Evidence from online search activities in Southeast Asia," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    5. M. Elshendy & A. Fronzetti Colladon & E. Battistoni & P. A. Gloor, 2021. "Using four different online media sources to forecast the crude oil price," Papers 2105.09154, arXiv.org.
    6. Havranek, Tomas & Zeynalov, Ayaz, 2018. "Forecasting Tourist Arrivals with Google Trends and Mixed Frequency Data," EconStor Preprints 187420, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    7. Rodrigo Mulero & Alfredo García-Hiernaux, 2021. "Forecasting Spanish unemployment with Google Trends and dimension reduction techniques," SERIEs: Journal of the Spanish Economic Association, Springer;Spanish Economic Association, vol. 12(3), pages 329-349, September.
    8. Tomas Havranek & Ayaz Zeynalov, 2021. "Forecasting tourist arrivals: Google Trends meets mixed-frequency data," Tourism Economics, , vol. 27(1), pages 129-148, February.
    9. Jianchun Fang & Wanshan Wu & Zhou Lu & Eunho Cho, 2019. "Using Baidu Index To Nowcast Mobile Phone Sales In China," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 64(01), pages 83-96, March.
    10. Nikolaos Askitas, 2015. "Google search activity data and breaking trends," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 206-206, November.
    11. Samvel S. Lazaryan & Nikita E. German, 2018. "Forecasting Current GDP Dynamics With Google Search Data," Finansovyj žhurnal — Financial Journal, Financial Research Institute, Moscow 125375, Russia, issue 6, pages 83-94, December.
    12. Simionescu, Mihaela & Zimmermann, Klaus F., 2017. "Big Data and Unemployment Analysis," GLO Discussion Paper Series 81, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    13. Pater, Robert & Szkola, Jaroslaw & Kozak, Marcin, 2019. "A method for measuring detailed demand for workers' competences," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 13, pages 1-30.
    14. Tuhkuri, Joonas, 2016. "ETLAnow: A Model for Forecasting with Big Data – Forecasting Unemployment with Google Searches in Europe," ETLA Reports 54, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy.
    15. Simionescu, Mihaela & Raišienė, Agota Giedrė, 2021. "A bridge between sentiment indicators: What does Google Trends tell us about COVID-19 pandemic and employment expectations in the EU new member states?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    16. Abay,Kibrom A. & Hirfrfot,Kibrom Tafere & Woldemichael,Andinet, 2020. "Winners and Losers from COVID-19 : Global Evidence from Google Search," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9268, The World Bank.
    17. Gulsah Senturk, 2022. "Can Google Search Data Improve the Unemployment Rate Forecasting Model? An Empirical Analysis for Turkey," Journal of Economic Policy Researches, Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 9(2), pages 229-244, July.
    18. Mihaela, Simionescu, 2020. "Improving unemployment rate forecasts at regional level in Romania using Google Trends," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    19. Rodrigo Mulero & Alfredo Garcia-Hiernaux, 2023. "Forecasting unemployment with Google Trends: age, gender and digital divide," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 65(2), pages 587-605, August.
    20. Abay, Kibrom A. & Ibrahim, Hosam, 2020. "Winners and losers from COVID-19: Evidence from Google search data for Egypt," MENA policy notes 8, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • E27 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Forecasting and Simulation: Models and Applications
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search

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