Labor lag: economic policy problems.

• Author: Suderman, Peter
• Position: Citings - Brief article

Why has the U.S. job market stayed so lousy for so long? The impact of the recession explains part of it, but it's not the whole story, according to a paper unveiled in September by economists Steven J. Davis and John Haltiwanger. Davis, of the University of Chicago, and Haltiwanger, of the University of Maryland, looked at employment trends across the country and concluded that a significant chunk of the problem predated the economic downturn.

The core issue is that older people are staying put in the jobs they have, creating less turnover and less movement. One consequence is that younger people are having trouble getting their foot in the door. That will have ripple effects for years to come. The longer it...