The price of leverage: learning from the effect of LTV constraints on job search and wages

Does household leverage matter for workers’ job search, matching in the labor market, and wages? Theoretically, household leverage has been shown to have opposing effects on the labor market through, among others, a debt-overhang and a liquidity constraint channel. To test which channels dominate empirically, we exploit the introduction of a macroprudential borrowing restriction that exogenously reduces household leverage in Norway. We study homeowners who lose their job and find that a reduction in leverage raises wages by 3.3 percentage points after unemployment. The mandated restriction of leverage enables workers to search longer for jobs, and thereby find positions in firms that pay higher wage premia and switch to new occupations and industries. We observe no evidence that a greater use of credit during unemployment drives the extended job search. The positive effect on wages is persistent and more pronounced for workers who are more likely to benefit from improved job search, such as young people. Our findings contribute to the debate on the costs and benefits of policies that constrain household leverage and show that such policies, while primarily aiming at enhancing financial stability, have other positive effects such as improved labor market outcomes.