Merger activity and unemployment in the USA

Abstract

This article presents estimates of the effect of merger activity on the unemployment rate in the US economy using time-series data from 1895 to 1992. Utilizing the methodology suggested by Wickens and Breusch (Economic Journal, Supplement, 189–205, 1988), both the short-run and long-run impacts are estimated. The estimated results suggest that merger activity had a significant negative effect on the unemployment rate in the long run. Even in the short run, merger activity, at the margin, has helped to reduce the unemployment rate.