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Unemployment Traps: Do Financial Disincentives Matter?

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  • Pedersen, Peder J.

    (Aarhus University)

  • Smith, Nina

    (Aarhus University)

Abstract

This paper analyses the importance of financial dis-incentives for workers in Denmark. Based on a panel survey which is merged to a number of administrative registers it is possible to calculate precise measures of the economic incentives for labour force participants between employment in a full time job and being on unemployment insurance benefits and considering also the fixed costs of work. The results indicate large dis-incentives effects for some groups, especially low paid women. In 1996, 6 per cent of Danish men and 13 per cent of the women had a lower disposable net income if working in a full-time job compared to being on unemployment benefits. The effect of these financial dis-incentives is analysed in simple reduced form models of on-the-job search, unemployed search behaviour, unemployment risk, and transitions out of the labour force. We find that the net compensation rate in unemployment has a significant impact on women’s propensity to leave the labour force, on measures of search intensity, on the risk of being hit by unemployment and on one of our flexibility measures, i.e. the maximum acceptable commuting time to a job. The net compensation rate has no impact on the willingness to move to another place to get a job. However, here we find a significant impact from job attitude related measures. We end the paper reporting the results from including attitude variables along with economic variables. We find a number of significant effects from attitude variables. However, the main conclusion is that economic incentives dominate the present analysis of unemployment traps.

Suggested Citation

  • Pedersen, Peder J. & Smith, Nina, 2001. "Unemployment Traps: Do Financial Disincentives Matter?," IZA Discussion Papers 274, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp274
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. D'Addio, Anna Cristina & De Greef, Isabelle & Rosholm, Michael, 2002. "Assessing Unemployment Traps in Belgium Using Panel Data Sample Selection Models," IZA Discussion Papers 669, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Torben M. Andersen, 2009. "Taxes and employment - is there a Scandinavia puzzle ?," European Economy - Economic Papers 2008 - 2015 359, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.
    3. Konstantinos Tatsiramos, 2009. "Geographic labour mobility and unemployment insurance in Europe," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 22(2), pages 267-283, April.
    4. Aleksandra Anić & Gorana Krstić, 2017. "Are The Unemployed And Inactive Financially Trapped? Evidence From Serbia," Economic Annals, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Belgrade, vol. 62(214), pages 87-106, June - Se.
    5. Nisar Ahmad & Rayhaneh Esmaeilzadeh, 2009. "Immigrant-Native Differences in Earnings Mobility Processes: Evidence from Canadian and Danish Data," Economics Working Papers 2009-13, Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University.
    6. Kamil Galuscak & Jan Pavel, 2007. "Unemployment and Inactivity Traps in the Czech Republic: Incentive Effects of Policies," Working Papers 2007/9, Czech National Bank.
    7. Michael Rosholm & Marianne Røed & Pål Schøne, 2013. "Are new work practices and new technologies biased against immigrant workers?," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 34(8), pages 995-1014, November.
    8. Hingre, Garance & Russell, Helen & McGinnity, Frances & Smyth, Emer, 2024. "Gender and labour market inclusion on the island of Ireland," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number RS176.
    9. Kamil Galuscak & Jan Pavel, 2012. "Taxes and Benefits: Work Incentive Effects of Policies," Czech Journal of Economics and Finance (Finance a uver), Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, vol. 62(1), pages 27-43, February.
    10. Rosholm, Michael & Vejlin, Rune, 2010. "Reducing income transfers to refugee immigrants: Does start-help help you start?," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 258-275, January.
    11. Christian Bjørnskov, 2017. "Growth, Inequality, And Economic Freedom: Evidence From The U.S. States," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 35(3), pages 518-531, July.
    12. Nisar Ahmad & Rayhaneh Esmaeilzadeh & J?rgen Hansen, 2014. "Immigrant-Native Differences in Earnings Mobility Processes," Review of Economics & Finance, Better Advances Press, Canada, vol. 4, pages 13-32, Feburary.
    13. Torben Andersen, 2010. "Why do Scandinavians Work?," CESifo Working Paper Series 3068, CESifo.
    14. Kohns, Stephan, 2001. "Testing for Asymmetry in British, German and US Unemployment Data," IZA Discussion Papers 341, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    15. de Koning, J. & Layard, R. & Nickell, S. & Westergaard-Nielsen, N., 2004. "Policies for full employment," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 47444, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    16. Bjørnskov, Christian, 2004. "Inequality, Tolerance, and Growth," Working Papers 04-8, University of Aarhus, Aarhus School of Business, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Unemployment traps; job attitudes; incentives;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • J32 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Nonwage Labor Costs and Benefits; Retirement Plans; Private Pensions
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search

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