Oil & gas induced economic fluctuations and self-employment
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-1-2023
Abstract
This paper exploits oil and gas activity generated by recent technological advancements to understand the effect of localized boom and busts on self-employment. We find a positive contemporaneous impact on self-employment, mainly driven by self-employment in non-mining industries. We also find that self-employment is pro-cyclical, meaning that self-employment increases during oil and gas booms and contracts during the bust. Finally, results suggest that self-employment explains an economically meaningful share of the employment adjustment; specifically we estimate that about 11% of the employment adjustment can be explained by self-employed workers, a group which makes up about 9% of total employment.
Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
Labour Economics
Recommended Citation
Unel, B., & Upton, G. (2023). Oil & gas induced economic fluctuations and self-employment. Labour Economics, 82 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2023.102362