August 2014

IZA DP No. 8372: Employment Industry and Occupational Continuity in Germany: From the Nazi Regime to the Post-War Economic Miracle

published in: Applied Economics Letters, 2015, 22(8), 603-612

Using retrospective survey data that covers 1939, 1950, 1960, and 1971, I compare individual-level changes in employment industry and occupational status in Germany from the beginning of World War II to the post-war reconstruction era dubbed the Economic Miracle (Wirtschaftswunder). This comparison reveals that, with only a few exceptions, labor allocation developments remained relatively stable even in the face of huge political and macroeconomic change.