From Past to Present: How Recessions Shape Job Loss Perceptions in Europe

[en] ABSTRACT Past recessions can leave enduring marks on how individuals perceive labor market risks. Drawing on survey data from 29 European countries, this article shows that recessions experienced between ages 18 and 33 heighten perceptions of job loss risk well into adulthood. The persistence of these scars depends on context: education mitigates them, technological change amplifies them, and stronger labor market protections weaken them. The findings suggest that early macroeconomic experiences shape not only economic outcomes but also persistent attitudes toward job security, with implications for resilience and policy design.

Disciplines :

Microeconomics
Macroeconomics & monetary economics

Author, co-author :

SINTOS, Andreas ; University of Luxembourg

Chletsos, Michael ; Department of Economics University of Piraeus Piraeus Greece

External co-authors :

yes

Language :

English

Title :

From Past to Present: How Recessions Shape Job Loss Perceptions in Europe

Publication date :

26 December 2025

Journal title :

Scottish Journal of Political Economy

ISSN :

0036-9292

eISSN :

1467-9485

Publisher :

Wiley

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/sjpe.70043

Available on ORBilu :

since 29 December 2025

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