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Oil Prices and State Unemployment Rates

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  • Mohamad B. Karaki

Abstract

This paper studies the effect of oil price shocks on U.S. state-level unemployment rates. First, using a test of symmetry, I evaluate whether the relationship between oil prices and state unemployment rates is symmetric. I find no evidence against the null of symmetry after accounting for data mining. Second, I use a symmetric structural VAR model to analyze the effect of oil supply shocks, aggregate demand shocks and oil-specific demand shocks on state unemployment. I find that an adverse supply shock triggers increases in unemployment, whereas a positive aggregate demand shock reduces the unemployment rate across most U.S. states. I also show that oil-specific demand shocks have little effect on state unemployment. Finally, I dig into the historical contribution of the various oil shocks to the changes in state unemployment rates during the shale boom period. I find that aggregate demand shocks contributed the most to the change of unemployment.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohamad B. Karaki, 2018. "Oil Prices and State Unemployment Rates," The Energy Journal, , vol. 39(3), pages 25-50, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:enejou:v:39:y:2018:i:3:p:25-50
    DOI: 10.5547/01956574.39.3.mkar
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    5. Iman Cheratian & Mohammad Reza Farzanegan & Saleh Goltabar, 2019. "Oil Price Shocks and Unemployment Rate: New Evidence from the MENA Region," MAGKS Papers on Economics 201931, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    6. Ryan Hanson & Ana María Herrera, 2025. "The Effect of Oil News Shocks on Job Creation and Destruction," Working Papers 25-06, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    7. Kandemir Kocaaslan, Ozge, 2019. "Oil price uncertainty and unemployment," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 577-583.
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    11. Herrera, Ana María & Karaki, Mohamad B. & Rangaraju, Sandeep Kumar, 2019. "Oil price shocks and U.S. economic activity," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 89-99.
    12. Koirala, Niraj Prasad & Ma, Xiaohan, 2020. "Oil price uncertainty and U.S. employment growth," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    13. Moghaddam, Mohsen Bakhshi & Lloyd-Ellis, Huw, 2022. "Heterogeneous effects of oil price fluctuations: Evidence from a nonparametric panel data model in Canada," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
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    15. Moshiri, Saeed & Bakhshi Moghaddam, Mohsen, 2018. "The effects of oil price shocks in a federation; The case of interregional trade and labour migration," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 206-221.
    16. Peng Li & Yaofu Ouyang, 2023. "Oil price shocks and China’s consumer and entrepreneur sentiment: a Bayesian structural VAR approach," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 65(5), pages 2241-2271, November.
    17. Mohamad B. Karaki, 2018. "Asymmetries In The Responses Of Regional Job Flows To Oil Price Shocks," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 56(3), pages 1827-1845, July.
    18. Priya, Pragati & Sharma, Chandan, 2024. "On transmission channels of energy prices and monetary policy shocks to household consumption: Evidence from India," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    19. Guy Assaker & Wassim Shahin, 2022. "What Drives Faculty Publication Citations in the Business Field? Empirical Results from an AACSB Middle Eastern Institution," Publications, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-29, November.
    20. Elder, John & Payne, James E., 2024. "Oil price uncertainty shocks and the gender gap in U.S. unemployment," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    21. Diab, Sara & Karaki, Mohamad B., 2023. "Do increases in gasoline prices cause higher food prices?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(PB).
    22. Isiaka Akande Raifu & Alarudeen Aminu & Abiodun O. Folawewo, 2020. "Investigating the relationship between changes in oil prices and unemployment rate in Nigeria: linear and nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag approaches," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 1-18, December.
    23. Tarek Tawfik Yousef Alkhateeb & Haider Mahmood, 2020. "Oil Price and Energy Depletion Nexus in GCC Countries: Asymmetry Analyses," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-13, June.
    24. Zhang, Xi-Xi & Liu, Lu, 2020. "The time-varying causal relationship between oil price and unemployment: Evidence from the U.S. and China (EGY 118745)," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    25. Chen, Shiu-Sheng & Huang, Shiangtsz & Lin, Tzu-Yu, 2022. "How do oil prices affect emerging market sovereign bond spreads?," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    oil supply shocks; oil demand shocks; state unemployment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F0 - International Economics - - General

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