We offer a decomposition for the variance of the current unemployment rate that not only measures the contributions of labor market flows but also of the approximation error embedded in other decompositions that use surrogates for the current rate. Using data for the United States and Brazil,...

We implement decompositions of cyclical unemployment in a large developing country using the conventional 3-states and a 4-states representation of the labor market, where in the latter we subdivide the employment state into formal and informal forms of employment. This allows a richer analysis...

We evaluate the effects of a large-scale enforcement intervention on formal labor flows. The initiative combined a communication component (an official letter/e-mail sent to registered employers) and a punishment component (face-to-face inspections). Using two identification strategies...

We investigate if the labor market stigmatizes fired workers, by comparing their trajectories with individuals who lost their jobs after the establishments they used to work closed down. Using RAIS data for formal workers, we find that being fired significantly reduces the chances of finding a...

We investigate both theoretically and empirically the relationship between economic expansion and the degree of formalization of the Brazilian labor market in the recent period. Based on search models, we present a theoretical framework that attempts to explain the recent increase in the share...

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the Apprenticeship program (Lei do Aprendiz) that has been adopted in a large scale since 2000 in Brazil. This is a youth-targeted ALMP, which concedes payroll subsidies to firms that hire and train young workers under special temporary contracts aiming...

We use matched employer-employee data to study the situation of young workers in the (formal) labor market in Brazil. We employ the flow approach to draw a comparative picture of the patterns of the young and adult movements in the labor market during a period of fifteen years. We also estimate...