The matching function -a key building block in models of labor market frictions- implies
that the job finding rate depends only on labor market tightness. We estimate such a
matching function and find that the relation, although remarkably stable over 1967-2007,
broke down spectacularly after 2007. We argue that labor market heterogeneities are not
fully captured by the standard matching function, but that a generalized matching function
that explicitly takes into account worker heterogeneity and ...
The matching function -a key building block in models of labor market frictions- implies
that the job finding rate depends only on labor market tightness. We estimate such a
matching function and find that the relation, although remarkably stable over 1967-2007,
broke down spectacularly after 2007. We argue that labor market heterogeneities are not
fully captured by the standard matching function, but that a generalized matching function
that explicitly takes into account worker heterogeneity and market segmentation is fully
consistent with the behavior of the job finding rate. The standard matching function can
break down when, as in the Great Recession, the average characteristics of the unemployed
change too much, or when dispersion in labor market conditions -the extent to which some
labor markets fare worse than others- increases too much.
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