Job Search Strategies in Times of Crisis: Natives and Immigrants in Spain

Abstract

This paper uses Spanish Labor Force Survey data for the period 2005–2010 to analyze the job search methods adopted by unemployed natives and immigrants. We focus on the determinants of these job search methods and examine the interaction between the methods selected and native and immigrant exit rates from unemployment in a period that covers the transition from economic growth to crisis. Our findings suggest that, irrespective of the job search methods adopted, the hazards of leaving unemployment are greater for natives than they are for immigrants. The gap emerges in the second half of 2006, 1 year before the onset of the international crisis. Prior to this date, no differences were observed in their respective exit rates from unemployment. Finally, we find a mixed correlation between the job search methods and the probability of finding a job.