Unemployment Duration and Sport Participation.

In this study we use the German Socio-Economic Panel to evaluate the impact of leisure sport participation on the unemployment duration. The empirical literature on sport participation has focused on labour market outcomes and job quality while the impact of this activity on job search has not been studied. However, sports participation fosters socialization which, through the networking effect, accelerates the exit from unemployment to employment. Furthermore, sporty people are expected to have valuable non-cognitive skills (self-confidence, persistence, team spirit). Last, they are healthier. These hypotheses are tested using survival analysis and taking into account unobservable heterogeneity. Because other activities could lead to similar positive effects we compare them to sporting activities and still find relevant results.