The Effects of House Prices and Home Equity Extraction on Career Outcomes
83 Pages Posted: 16 Dec 2019 Last revised: 31 Aug 2023
Date Written: August 30, 2023
Abstract
This paper investigates the effects of housing wealth shocks on workers' career decisions, particularly job quality, and long-term career outcomes. Using a novel data set of career histories in the film industry, we find that homeowners facing greater house price declines reduce participation in high-quality projects but increase involvement in low-quality films. Conversely, renters are not affected by these shocks. Consistent with individuals using home equity during job searches, these shocks have a greater impact on homeowners who extracted home equity during the housing boom. Moreover, house price declines from the housing crisis affect long-term career paths.
Keywords: Job Search, Long-term Career Effects, Housing Wealth Shocks, Home Equity Extraction
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