Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP12087
Authors: Michael C. Burda; Katie R. Genadek; Daniel S. Hamermesh
Abstract: We use the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) 2003-2012 to estimate time spent in non-work on the job. Non-work is substantial and varies positively with local unemployment. Time spent in non-work conditional on any positive amount rises, while the fraction of workers reporting positive values declines with unemployment. Both effects are economically important, and are consistent with a model in which heterogeneous workers are paid efficiency wages. That model correctly predicts the relationship between the incidence of non-work and unemployment benefits in state data linked to the ATUS, and is consistent with estimated occupational differences in non-work incidence and intensity, as well as the cyclical behavior of aggregate labor productivity.
Keywords: time use; nonwork; efficiency wages; labor productivity
JEL Codes: J22; E24
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| local unemployment rate (J64) | proportion of nonwork time at work (J29) |
| local unemployment rate (J64) | probability of reporting any nonwork time (J22) |
| local unemployment rate (J64) | nonwork time at workplace (J29) |