Labor Market Research Highlights
Want to stay updated on new research relating to programs, policy, and tracking of the labor market? Check out some research highlights below.
- A recent NBER working paper examined how job security (i.e., level of unemployment risk) affects job mobility (i.e., willingness to change jobs). The researchers find that workers do indeed on average require additional pay to accept additional unemployment risk. They also emphasize how unemployment insurance plays a role in lessening that risk, which they estimate increases productivity and job creation.
- Another NBER working paper looked at how employers respond to changes in thresholds for worker overtime coverage. The researcher finds that employers tend to raise salaries above the threshold rather than dropping worker hours or base pay, suggesting that raising pay is less costly to the employer than making any other adjustments.
- A study published in the American Economic Review: Insights looked at whether work from home opportunities increased employment for people with physical disabilities. The authors estimate that a single percentage point increase in work from home opportunities raise employment for people with a physical disability by one percent. In other words, they estimate that work from home increased full-time employment for this population by a tenth over the COVID and post-COVID period.
- Researchers at the W.E. Upjohn Institute estimated the effect of labor market tightness (the relationship of job vacancies to unemployment) on job quality. They found that an increase in job vacancies increases the probability of switching to a better job (one with greater pay and benefits), better alignment of work area, and more advancement opportunities.
These research updates are part of our Economist Insights series, Q3-2026.
