1. Flight to Safety: How Economic Downturns Affect Talent Flows to Startups.
- Author
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Bernstein, Shai, Townsend, Richard R, and Xu, Ting
- Subjects
LABOR supply ,RECESSIONS ,NEW business enterprises ,TALENT management ,ENTREPRENEURSHIP ,BUSINESS cycles - Abstract
Using proprietary data from AngelList Talent, we study how startup job seekers' search and application behavior changed during the COVID-19 downturn. We find that workers shifted their searches and applications away from less-established startups and toward more-established ones, even within the same individual over time. At the firm level, this shift was not offset by an influx of new job seekers. Less-established startups experienced a relative decline in the quantity and quality of applications, ultimately affecting their hiring. Our findings uncover a flight-to-safety channel in the labor market that may amplify the procyclical nature of entrepreneurial activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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