We analyze two unemployment insurance systems. In one, unemployed workers receive benefits while those on reduced hours do not, as in North America (at least until recently). In the other, short-time compensation is paid to workers on reduced hours, as in Europe. The first system causes inefficient temporary layoffs for some parameters; the latter does not, but implies inefficient hours per worker. Some evidence is presented regarding these effects. Despite policymakers' recent enthusiasm for short-time compensation, the clear implication of this project is that changes should come on the tax, not benefit, side of the system.

We analyze equilibrium in a labor market model wherein it takes time for the workers to contact firms. Workers, assumed identical, repeatedly sell their labor services all through their work lives, choosing their search intensity endogenously. Identical firms attempt to maximize their steady-state profit flow. We focus on the importance and consequences of balanced matching, in which workers are more likely to contact a larger firm. A unique equilibrium is shown to exist wherein all firms offer the same wage and select an employment level at which wage equals marginal product. The effect of traditional labor market policies and empirical implications are discussed.

We analyze equilibrium in a labor market model wherein it takes time for the workers to contact firms. Workers, assumed identical, repeatedly sell their labor services all through their work lives, choosing their search intensity endogenously. Identical firms attempt to maximize their steady-state profit flow. We focus on the importance and consequences of balanced matching, in which workers are more likely to contact a larger firm. A unique equilibrium is shown to exist wherein all firms offer the same wage and select an employment level at which wage equals marginal product. The effect of traditional labor market policies and empirical implications are discussed.

The paper has two purposes: (1) to extend the theory of job search to include the case in which job prospects are characterized by layoff risk as well as the wage and (2) to synthesize the search and implicit-contract approaches by using the former to model the supply side and the latter to model the demand side of a labor market. The result is a simple and consistent theory of labor market equilibrium under conditions of imperfect information and uncertain derived demand. The theory purports to explain both search and layoff unemployment as market equilibrium phenomena.

The paper has two purposes: (1) to extend the theory of job search to include the case in which job prospects are characterized by layoff risk as well as the wage and (2) to synthesize the search and implicit-contract approaches by using the former to model the supply side and the latter to model the demand side of a labor market. The result is a simple and consistent theory of labor market equilibrium under conditions of imperfect information and uncertain derived demand. The theory purports to explain both search and layoff unemployment as market equilibrium phenomena.

We analyze two unemployment insurance systems. In one, unemployed workers receive benefits while those on reduced hours do not, as in North America (at least until recently). In the other, short-time compensation is paid to workers on reduced hours, as in Europe. The first system causes inefficient temporary layoffs for some parameters; the latter does not, but implies inefficient hours per worker. Some evidence is presented regarding these effects. Despite policymakers' recent enthusiasm for short-time compensation, the clear implication of this project is that changes should come on the tax, not benefit, side of the system.

Suppose that n buyers each want one unit and m sellers each have one or more units of a good. Sellers post prices, and then buyers choose sellers. In symmetric equilibrium, similar sellers all post one price, and buyers randomize. Hence, more or fewer buyers may arrive than a seller can accommodate. We call this frictions. We solve for prices and the endogenous matching function for finite n and m and consider the limit as n and m grow. The matching function displays decreasing returns but converges to constant returns. We argue that the standard matching function in the literature is misspecified and discuss implications for the Beveridge curve.