AIECE General Report, Part 2, Spring 2023
Andrej Drygalla, Axel Lindner, Birgit Schultz
IWH Studies,
No. 4,
2023
Abstract
The Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) is a member of AIECE (Association d'Instituts Europeens de Conjoncture Economique/Association of European Conjuncture Institutes), an association of independent European institutes involved in surveying economic conditions and developments, and in short-term macroeconomic forecasting. The main objective of the Association is to stimulate the exchanges between its members with a view to improve their insight into international economic developments. This ranges from the exchange of statistical or institutional information to discussions on economic policy Guidelines to common research activities. The AIECE organises between its members an exchange of view, of information and of literature on international economic developments, in particular in Europe. The Association provides the framework for joint activities of its members in areas of common interest. Its structure allows its members to develop common views on the future cyclical development. In order to meet these objectives the Association has half-yearly plenary meetings, centred around a general report on the European conjuncture prepared in turn by one of the members in cooperation with the other member institutes, but also with discussions of the working group reports and of special surveys prepared by member institutes. In Spring 2023, the report was written by the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
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AIECE General Report, Part 1, Spring 2023
Andrej Drygalla, Axel Lindner, Birgit Schultz
IWH Studies,
No. 3,
2023
Abstract
The Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) is a member of AIECE (Association d'Instituts Europeens de Conjoncture Economique/Association of European Conjuncture Institutes), an association of independent European institutes involved in surveying economic conditions and developments, and in short-term macroeconomic forecasting. The main objective of the Association is to stimulate the exchanges between its members with a view to improve their insight into international economic developments. This ranges from the exchange of statistical or institutional information to discussions on economic policy Guidelines to common research activities. The AIECE organises between its members an exchange of view, of information and of literature on international economic developments, in particular in Europe. The Association provides the framework for joint activities of its members in areas of common interest. Its structure allows its members to develop common views on the future cyclical development. In order to meet these objectives the Association has half-yearly plenary meetings, centred around a general report on the European conjuncture prepared in turn by one of the members in cooperation with the other member institutes, but also with discussions of the working group reports and of special surveys prepared by member institutes. In Spring 2023, the report was written by the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
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Micro Data on Robots from the IAB Establishment Panel
Verena Plümpe, Jens Stegmaier
Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik,
No. 3,
2023
Abstract
Micro-data on robots have been very sparse in Germany so far. Consequently, a dedicated section has been introduced in the IAB Establishment Panel 2019 that includes questions on the number and type of robots used. This article describes the background and development of the survey questions, provides information on the quality of the data, possible checks and steps of data preparation. The resulting data is aggregated on industry level and compared with the frequently used robot data by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) which contains robot supplier information on aggregate robot stocks and deliveries.
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Konjunktur aktuell: Belebung in Dienstleistungsbranchen, aber zunächst weiter schwache Industriekonjunktur
Konjunktur aktuell,
No. 2,
2023
Abstract
Im Sommer 2023 deuten Stimmungsindikatoren auf einen weltweiten Aufschwung in den Dienstleistungsbranchen, die Konjunktur im Verarbeitenden Gewerbe bleibt aber schwach. Hohe Inflation und gestiegene Leitzinsen dämpfen die Konjunktur in den meisten Weltregionen. In Europa belasten auch im langjährigen Vergleich hohe Energiepreise. Insgesamt bleibt die Dynamik der Weltwirtschaft im Jahr 2023 verhalten. Die deutsche Wirtschaft wird in mäßigem Tempo expandieren, denn mit sinkender Inflation und erhöhter Lohndynamik wird der private Konsum wieder zulegen. Das Bruttoinlandsprodukt dürfte 2023 um 0,3% zurückgehen, für das kommende Jahr ist ein Zuwachs von 1,7% prognostiziert. Für 2023 ist mit einer Inflationsrate von 6,1% und für 2024 mit 2,7% zu rechnen.
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Cross-country Evidence on the Allocation of COVID-19 Government Subsidies and Consequences for Productivity
Tommaso Bighelli, Tibor Lalinsky, Juuso Vanhala
Journal of the Japanese and International Economies,
June
2023
Abstract
We study the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and related policy support on productivity. We employ an extensive micro-distributed exercise to access otherwise unavailable individual data on firm performance and government subsidies. Our cross-country evidence for five EU countries shows that the pandemic led to a significant short-term decline in aggregate productivity and the direct support to firms had only a limited positive effect on productivity developments. A thorough comparative analysis of the distribution of employment and overall direct subsidies, considering separately also relative firm-level size of support and the probability of being supported, reveals ambiguous cross-country results related to the firm-level productivity and points to the decisive role of other firm characteristics.
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Skill Mismatch and the Costs of Job Displacement
Frank Neffke, Ljubica Nedelkoska, Simon Wiederhold
Abstract
Establishment closures have lasting negative consequences for the workers they displace from their jobs. We study how these consequences vary with the amount of skill mismatch that workers experience after job displacement. Developing new measures of occupational skill redundancy and skill shortage, we analyze the work histories of individuals in Germany between 1975 and 2010. We estimate differencein- differences models, using a sample of displaced workers who are matched to statistically similar non-displaced workers. We find that displacements increase the probability of occupational change eleven-fold. Moreover, the magnitude of postdisplacement earnings losses strongly depends on the type of skill mismatch that workers experience in such job switches. Whereas skill shortages are associated with relatively quick returns to the counterfactual earnings trajectories that displaced workers would have experienced absent displacement, skill redundancy sets displaced workers on paths with permanently lower earnings. We show that these differences can be attributed to differences in mismatch after displacement, and not to intrinsic differences between workers making different post-displacement career choices.
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23.05.2023 • 14/2023
Analysis of earnings calls: Blathering managers harm their company
If a senior executive refuses to give information to professional investors, the company's stock market value drops afterwards. This is shown in a study by the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) after evaluating
1.2 million answers from tele-phone conferences.
Fabian Wöbbeking
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Intuit QuickBooks Small Business Index: A New Employment Series for the US, Canada, and the UK
Ufuk Akcigit, Raman Chhina, Seyit Cilasun, Javier Miranda, Eren Ocakverdi, Nicolas Serrano-Velarde
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 9,
2023
Abstract
Small and young businesses are essential for job creation, innovation, and economic growth. Even most of the superstar firms start their business life small and then grow over time. Small firms have less internal resources, which makes them more fragile and sensitive to macroeconomic conditions. This suggests the need for frequent and real-time monitoring of the small business sector’s health. Previously this was difficult due to a lack of appropriate data. This paper fills this important gap by developing a new Intuit QuickBooks Small Business Index that focuses on the smallest of small businesses with at most 9 workers in the US and the UK and at most 19 workers in Canada. The Index aggregates a sample of anonymous Quick- Books Online Payroll subscriber data (QBO Payroll sample) from 333,000 businesses in the US, 66,000 in Canada, and 25,000 in the UK. After comparing the QBO Payroll sample data to the official statistics, we remove the seasonal components and use a Flexible Least Squares method to calibrate the QBO Payroll sample data against official statistics. Finally, we use the estimated model and the QBO Payroll sample data to generate a near real-time index of economic activity. We show that the estimated model performs well both in-sample and out-of-sample. Additionally, we use this analysis for different regions and industries. Keywords:
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Student assistant (f/m/x) for 8-10 hours per week (Structural Change and Productivity)
Job Vacancy Student assistant (f/m/x) for 8-10 hours per week...
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IWH-Tarif-Check: Aktuelle Tarifabschlüsse bedeuten Reallohnverluste 2024
Oliver Holtemöller, Birgit Schultz
IWH Tarif-Check,
No. 2,
2023
Abstract
*** Vergleich der Tariflohnabschlüsse von Chemischer Industrie, Deutscher Post, Metall- und Elektroindustrie und öffentlichem Dienst von Bund und Kommunen *** Die hohe Verbraucherpreisinflation hat den Lohndruck bei den Tarifverhandlungen stark erhöht. Das Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung Halle (IWH) hat die Lohnabschlüsse für vier ausgewählte Branchen, die sich im vergangenen Halbjahr auf Neuabschlüsse geeinigt haben, verglichen. Dabei zeigen sich hohe nominale Lohnsteigerungen. Insbesondere die Inflationsausgleichsprämie, die in allen vier Branchen bis zur maximalen Höhe von 3000 Euro vereinbart wurde, lässt die Bruttolöhne kräftig steigen. In der Chemischen Industrie, in der es bereits in der vergangenen Lohnrunde eine hohe Einmalzahlung gab, füllt die vereinbarte Inflationsausgleichszahlung diese Lücke.
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