The Impact of Reduced Commuting on Labor Supply and Household Welfare A Post-Pandemic Analysis

This paper examines the impact of changes in commuting time on welfare and labor supply in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing data from the American Time Use Survey, we observe a shift in commuting time and working hours across occupations with varying ability of telework after the pa...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ji, Yi
Other Authors: Oikonomou, Myrto, Pizzinelli, Carlo, Shibata, Ippei
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Washington, D.C. International Monetary Fund 2024
Series:IMF Working Papers
Subjects:
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Collection: International Monetary Fund - Collection details see MPG.ReNa
Description
Summary:This paper examines the impact of changes in commuting time on welfare and labor supply in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing data from the American Time Use Survey, we observe a shift in commuting time and working hours across occupations with varying ability of telework after the pandemic. We develop a household model of labor supply that accounts for commuting time, and we characterize how changes in commuting time impact individuals' and spouses' labor supply. We calibrate the model to the data. Our findings reveal that the observed post-pandemic decline in commuting time yields significant welfare gains: between 1.5 to 4.5 percent of consumption equivalents for households where at least one spouse experiences reduced commuting
Physical Description:37 pages
ISBN:9798400274503