Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/91679 
Year of Publication: 
2013
Series/Report no.: 
ISER Working Paper Series No. 2013-13
Publisher: 
University of Essex, Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER), Colchester
Abstract: 
Economic theory suggests that when a primary earner within a couple loses their job, one potential response is for the secondary earner to seek additional paid work to bolster their household finances. Yet, the empirical quantitative evidence regarding any such 'added worker effect' is mixed. To investigate why this might be, we explore the processes behind household responses to job loss through qualitative interviewing techniques. The findings indicate that the use of additional spousal labour is only one response of many alternatives and typically only invoked in cases of serious financial hardship.
Subjects: 
Couple-households
labour supply
recession
job loss
qualitative interviews
Understanding Society Innovation Panel
JEL: 
D13
J22
J64
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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