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Falling House Prices And Labor Mobility: Evidence From Matched Employer-Employee Data

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  • Christopher F. Goetz

Abstract

This study uses worker-level employment data from the U.S. Census Bureau to test whether falling home prices affect a worker's propensity to take a job in a different metropolitan area from where he is currently located. Using a sample of workers from the American Community Survey, I employ a within-MSA-time estimation that compares homeowners to renters in their propensities to relocate for jobs according to data from the Longitudinal Employer Household Dynamics database. This strategy allows me to disentangle the influence of house prices from that of other time-varying, location-specific shocks. Estimates show that homeowners who have experienced declines in the nominal value of their home are approximately 20% less likely to take a new job in a location outside of the metropolitan area that they currently live and work in, relative to an equivalent renter. This evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that housing lock-in has contributed to the decreased labor mobility of homeowners during the recent housing bust.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher F. Goetz, 2013. "Falling House Prices And Labor Mobility: Evidence From Matched Employer-Employee Data," Working Papers 13-43, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    • Handle: RePEc:cen:wpaper:13-43
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    File URL: https://www2.census.gov/ces/wp/2013/CES-WP-13-43.pdf
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    Cited by:

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    2. Foote, Andrew, 2016. "The effects of negative house price changes on migration: Evidence across U.S. housing downturns," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 292-299.
    3. Boele Bonthuis & Valerie Jarvis & Juuso Vanhala, 2016. "Shifts in euro area Beveridge curves and their determinants," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 5(1), pages 1-17, December.
    4. Sterk, Vincent, 2015. "Home equity, mobility, and macroeconomic fluctuations," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 16-32.
    5. Yue Qiu & Tracy Yue Wang, 2021. "Skilled Labor Risk and Corporate Policies [The growth of low skill service jobs and the polarization of the U.S. labor market]," The Review of Corporate Finance Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 10(3), pages 437-472.
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    7. Ken Ueda, 2019. "How Do Local Labor Markets and Human Capital Affect Employment Outcomes after Job Loss?," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 86(2), pages 548-572, October.
    8. Marcus Moelbak Ingholt, 2017. "House Prices, Geographical Mobility, and Unemployment," Discussion Papers 17-06, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics.

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