What happens to job market signaling under two-dimensional asymmetric information? With 2 types of productivity and noise, the equilibrium remains separating if an extended single-crossing condition is satisfied. If not, there are partially pooling equilibria where only extreme types can be distinguished, and supplementary information is needed. On-the-job interaction gives employers private information on productivity, which employment relationships may reveal to the market. While sticky wages lead to public revelation of this private information through dismissals, flexible wages do not, allowing employers to do cream skimming. Beyond the 2x2 case, employment relationships are always a noisy sign, so education is valuable as a life-time job market signal for high-ability workers.
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Gibbons, Robert & Katz, Lawrence F, 1991.
"Layoffs and Lemons,"
Journal of Labor Economics,
University of Chicago Press, vol. 9(4), pages 351-80, October.
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Other versions:
Robert Gibbons & Lawrence Katz, 1989.
"Layoffs and Lemons,"
Working Papers
629, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section..
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Gibbons, R. & Katz, L.F., 1989.
"Layoffs And Lemons,"
Working papers
531, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Economics.
Robert Gibbons & Lawrence Katz, 1991.
"Layoffs and Lemons,"
NBER Working Papers
2968, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)