American Economic Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
Cyclical Variation in Labor Hours and Productivity Using the ATUS
American Economic Review
vol. 103,
no. 3, May 2013
(pp. 99–104)
Abstract
We examine monthly variation in weekly work hours using data from 2003 to 2010. The data sources include the Current Population Survey (CPS) on hours/worker, the Current Employment Survey (CES) on hours/job, and the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) on both. The ATUS data minimize recall difficulties and constrain hours of work to accord with total available time. The ATUS hours/worker are less cyclical than the CPS series, but the hours/job are more cyclical than the CES series. We present alternative estimates of productivity based on ATUS data, and find that it is more pro-cyclical than other productivity measures.Citation
Burda, Michael C., Daniel S. Hamermesh, and Jay Stewart. 2013. "Cyclical Variation in Labor Hours and Productivity Using the ATUS." American Economic Review, 103 (3): 99–104. DOI: 10.1257/aer.103.3.99Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- E24 Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital
- E32 Business Fluctuations; Cycles
- G01 Financial Crises
- J22 Time Allocation and Labor Supply
- J24 Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity