Linked labor force trajectories: Empirical evidence from dual-parent families in the United States and Australia

Abstract

To what extent are parents’ and children’s labor force trajectories associated and what factors shape these intergenerational labor force trajectories? We address these questions by proposing a linked labor force trajectory approach that compares monthly labor market attachment sequences over a 2.5 year period, first for parents, and for their children 12 years later when they reach young adulthood in their 20 s. Using triadic sequences from the U.S. Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) (N = 488) and the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey (N = 693), we show that children’s labor force trajectories in young adulthood are strongly associated with the labor force..