Air Pollution and the Labor Market: Evidence from Wildfire Smoke
研究野火烟雾导致的空气污染如何影响美国劳动力市场,发现每多一天烟雾暴露使季度收入下降约0.1%,其中就业减少和退出劳动力市场解释了13%的收入损失。
Abstract We study how air pollution impacts the U.S. labor market by analyzing the effects of drifting wildfire smoke. We link satellite-based smoke plume data with labor market outcomes to estimate that an additional day of smoke exposure reduces quarterly earnings by about 0.1%. Extensive margin responses, including employment reductions and labor force exits, explain 13% of the overall earnings losses. The implied welfare costs from lost earnings due to air pollution exposure is on par with standard valuations of the mortality burden. The findings highlight the importance of labor market channels in air pollution policy responses.