In recessions, unemployment increases despite the—perhaps counterintuitive—fact that thenumber of unemployed workers … finding jobs expands. On net, unemployment rises only becauseeven more workers lose their jobs. We propose a theory of … unemployment fluctuations resting onthis countercyclicality of gross flows from unemployment into employment. In recessions …

In recessions, unemployment increases despite the--perhaps counterintuitive--fact that the number of unemployed workers … finding jobs expands. We propose a theory of unemployment fluctuations resting on this countercyclicality of gross flows from … unemployment into employment. In recessions, the abundance of new hires "congests" the jobs the unemployed fill--diminishing their …