Like Parent, Like Child? Labor Force Trajectory Resemblance Among U.S. and Australian Families

• In Event: 3544 - Labor Market

Abstract

We use data from the U.S. Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) and the Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey over the period 2001-2015 to investigate to what extent children adopt similar employment or joblessness trajectories as their parents among a representative sample of dual and single parent households in the U.S. and Australia. Using multichannel sequence analysis in combination with cluster analysis, we show that children raised in households with at least one parent in employment are more likely to find and stay in employment or continue into higher education. More complex and “job-poor” employment trajectories are faced by children raised in jobless households during their early teen years. In the second part of our analysis, results from a series of logistic regressions demonstrate that mother’s lower education attainment and the number of siblings are the most consistent factors that determine job-poor parent-child resemblance and this applies to both Australia and the U.S.

Authors

• Irma Mooi-Reci, The University of Melbourne

• Tim Futing Liao, University of Illinois

• Matthew Curry, University of Melbourne

• Mark Wooden, University of Melbourne