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Scrapping the entitlement to unemployment benefits for young labor market entrants : An effective way to get them to work ?

Author

Listed:
  • Bart Cockx

    (Department of Economics, Ghent University)

  • Koen Declercq

    (Leuven Economics of Education Research, KU Leuven; IRES/LIDAM, UCLouvain and FNRS)

  • Muriel Dejemeppe

    (IRES/LIDAM, UCLouvain)

  • Leda Inga

    (Centre for Research in Economics and Management, University of Luxembourg)

  • Bruno Van der Linden

    (IRES/LIDAM, UCLouvain and FNRS)

Abstract

We examine the impact of scrapping entitlement to unemployment insurance (UI) on job finding and employment of young labor market entrants. In Belgium, young labor market entrants with short or no employment record are eligible for non-means-tested UI after a one-year waiting period. This zero benefit period gives rise to an unusual inclining benefit profile. We exploit a policy change that restricted access to UI for two groups of job seekers in 2015: university graduates aged 25 and older at the end of their waiting period and high school dropouts younger than 21. At the moment when the reform was announced, many job seekers realized that they were not eligible anymore for UI by the end of their waiting period. We use a differences-in-differences approach to identify the causal impact of the reform. Our main finding is that losing eligibility to UI does not increase the employment probability of targeted youths.

Suggested Citation

  • Bart Cockx & Koen Declercq & Muriel Dejemeppe & Leda Inga & Bruno Van der Linden, 2019. "Scrapping the entitlement to unemployment benefits for young labor market entrants : An effective way to get them to work ?," Working Paper Research 379, National Bank of Belgium.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbb:reswpp:201906-379
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    File URL: https://www.nbb.be/fr/articles/scrapping-entitlement-unemployment-benefits-young-labour-market-entrants-effective-way-get
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    Cited by:

    1. Cockx, Bart & Declercq, Koen & Dejemeppe, Muriel & Inga, Leda & Van der Linden, Bruno, 2020. "Switching from an inclining to a zero-level unemployment benefit profile: Good for work incentives?," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Youth unemployment; Unemployment insurance; Policy evaluation; Difference-indifferences;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
    • J65 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment Insurance; Severance Pay; Plant Closings
    • J68 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Public Policy

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