Employer Concentration and Labor Force Participation
March 2022
Working Paper Number:
CES-22-08
Abstract
This paper examines the association between employer concentration and labor outcomes (labor force participation and employment). It uses restricted data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Longitudinal Business Database to estimate, at the county level, to what extent more concentrated labor markets have lower labor force participation rates and lower employment. The analysis also examines whether unionization rates and education levels mediate these associations.
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economist,
employee,
employment effects,
employ,
employed,
labor,
recession,
retirement,
workforce,
worker,
gdp,
federal,
unemployment rates,
saving,
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medicaid,
labor markets,
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Standard Industrial Classification,
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National Science Foundation,
Ordinary Least Squares,
Federal Reserve Bank,
Census Bureau Longitudinal Business Database,
Federal Trade Commission,
Current Population Survey,
Longitudinal Business Database,
Boston College,
Social Security,
Council of Economic Advisers,
Alfred P Sloan Foundation,
Longitudinal Employer Household Dynamics,
Disability Insurance,
Herfindahl Hirschman Index,
Census Bureau Disclosure Review Board,
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