Husbands' Unemployment and the Added Worker Effect of Married Women: Evidence From Thailand

This paper explores the impact of husbands' unemployment on wives' decisions to work and investigates the added worker effect in Thailand. Using the National Labor Force Surveys (LFS) from 2019 to 2024, results show significant added worker effects: wives with at least secondary education tend to increase their labour force participation and hours worked when their husbands are unemployed. Persistent unemployment (12 months or more) in husbands is linked to a substantial increase in wives' labour supply. Factors such as young children and higher local unemployment rates reduce wives' responses in the labour market. Further analysis reveals variations across wives' age groups and between urban and rural areas. Specifically, regardless of education level, rural wives are more responsive to long‐term husbands' unemployment compared to urban wives. These insights emphasize the importance of female human capital in fostering household economic resilience and call for targeted labour market policies and expanded social safety nets in developing economies.