Exploring the Canadian‐U.S. Unemployment and Nonemployment Rate Gaps: Are There Lessons for Both Countries?
利用美国和加拿大的州省级数据，分析美国劳动力市场近年表现优于加拿大的原因，发现结构性因素（如工会化程度低、失业保险不慷慨）比就业增长更重要，且加拿大劳动力市场对区域经济冲击的灵活性较差。
The Canadian and U.S. economies are very similar. Yet, beginning in the 1980s, Canada experienced much greater relative unemployment rates followed in the 1990s by a declining share of population employed. Using state‐ and provincial‐level data this study assesses why U.S. labor markets have recently performed relatively better than their Canadian counterparts. The empirical results indicate that more rapid U.S. employment growth explains a relatively small proportion of its lower joblessness. Structural causes including lower U.S. unionization and less generous unemployment insurance appear to be more important, at least in the long run. The Canadian labor market also appears to be less flexible to regional economic shocks.