Julie L. Hotchkiss and Olga Pavlova
Working Paper 2004-16a
Revised September 2004
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The purpose of this paper is to determine whether workers’ commitment to the labor force declined after 9/11, as many popular press accounts at the time suggested it would. The results indicate that any measured decline in hours spent working was the result of economic conditions rather than changes in desired hours of work. Controlling for economic conditions, hours of work after 9/11 actually increased on average compared to before 9/11; no significant change in hours spent working occurred among residents of New York City, however.
JEL classification: J22, Z19
Key words: labor supply, impact of 9/11, hours of work
The views expressed here are the authors’ and not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta or the Federal Reserve System. Any remaining errors are the authors’ responsibility.
Please address questions regarding content to Julie L. Hotchkiss, Research Economist and Associate Policy Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and Associate Professor of Economics, Georgia State University, 1000 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30309-4470, 404-498-8198, 404-498-8058 (fax), julie.l.hotchkiss@atl.frb.org, or Olga Pavlova, Ph.D. candidate, Department of Economics, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, 404-651-2878, prcop@langate.gsu.edu.