Unemployment duration and sport participation: evidence from Germany.

In this study I 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. Furthermore, there may be a selection effect of individuals with higher non-cognitive skills (which may optimize their job search). These hypotheses are tested using a duration model, taking into account unobservable heterogeneity. Because the timing of participation in sports activities is relevant, various measure of sport participation are tested as well as other activities.