Unemployment durations: evidence from the British Household Panel Survey

Abstract

This article uses data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), over the period 1991 to 2006, to examine the factors affecting the length of unemployment spells. The analysis is carried out with particular interest in the effect of regional labour market conditions on an individual’s conditional probability of leaving unemployment. A discrete time proportional hazards model is estimated, controlling for a range of demographic, educational, occupational and regional characteristics.