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Job Search, Human Capital and Wage Inequality

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  • Carlos Carrillo-Tudela

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to construct and quantitatively assess an equilibrium search model with on-the-job search and general human capital accumulation. In the model workers enter the labour market with different abilities and firms differ in their productivities. Wages are dispersed because of search frictions and workers’ productivity differentials. The model generates a simple (log) wage variance decomposition that is used to measure the importance of firm and worker productivity differentials, frictional wage dispersion and workers’ sorting dynamics. I calibrate the model using a sample of young workers for the UK. I show that wage inequality among low skilled workers is mostly due to differences in their productivities. Among medium skilled workers frictional wage dispersion and sorting dynamics are, together, as important as workers’ productivity differentials. Differences in firms’ productivities are also an important source of wage inequality for both skill groups and account for a large share of frictional wage dispersion. Quantitatively the model is able to reproduce the observed cross-sectional wage distribution, the average wage-experience profile and the amount of frictional wage dispersion observed in the data as measured by the Mean-min ratio.

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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by CESifo Group Munich in its series CESifo Working Paper Series with number 3979.

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Date of creation: 2012
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Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_3979

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Keywords: job search; human capital accumulation; wage dispersion; turnover;

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References

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  1. Christopher A. Pissarides, 2000. "Equilibrium Unemployment Theory, 2nd Edition," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262161877.
  2. Carlos Carrillo-Tudela, 2008. "Code for "An Equilibrium Search Model with Optimal Wage-Experience Contracts"," Computer Codes 06-134, Review of Economic Dynamics.
  3. Jan Eeckhout & Philipp Kircher, 2009. "Identifying Sorting - In Theory," PIER Working Paper Archive 09-007, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania.
  4. Guido Menzio & Shouyong Shi, 2011. "Efficient Search on the Job and the Business Cycle," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 119(3), pages 468 - 510.
  5. Giuseppe Moscarini & Francis G. Vella, 2008. "Occupational Mobility and the Business Cycle," NBER Working Papers 13819, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  6. Lentz, Rasmus, 2010. "Sorting by search intensity," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 145(4), pages 1436-1452, July.
  7. Joseph G. Altonji & Nicolas Williams, 2005. "Do wages rise with job seniority? A reassessment," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 58(3), pages 370-397, April.
  8. Mark Doms & Eric J. Bartelsman, 2000. "Understanding Productivity: Lessons from Longitudinal Microdata," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 38(3), pages 569-594, September.
  9. Shintaro Yamaguchi, 2006. "Job Search, Bargaining, and Wage Dynamics," 2006 Meeting Papers 54, Society for Economic Dynamics.
  10. Fabien Postel-Vinay & Hélène Turon, 2010. "On-The-Job Search, Productivity Shocks, And The Individual Earnings Process," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 51(3), pages 599-629, 08.
  11. Hall, Robert E, 1982. "The Importance of Lifetime Jobs in the U.S. Economy," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 72(4), pages 716-24, September.
  12. Kenneth Burdett & Carlos Carrillo‐Tudela & Melvyn G. Coles, 2011. "Human Capital Accumulation And Labor Market Equilibrium," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 52(3), pages 657-677, 08.
  13. Abraham, Katharine G & Farber, Henry S, 1987. "Job Duration, Seniority, and Earnings," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 77(3), pages 278-97, June.
  14. Guido Menzio & Irina A. Telyukova & Ludo Visschers, 2012. "Directed Search over the Life Cycle," PIER Working Paper Archive 12-002, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania.
  15. Jacob A. Mincer, 1974. "Schooling, Experience, and Earnings," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number minc74-1, October.
  16. Dustmann, Christian & Meghir, Costas, 1999. "Wages, Experience and Seniority," CEPR Discussion Papers 2077, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  17. Bontemps, C. & Robin, J.M. & van den Berg, G.J., 1998. "Equilibrium Search with Continuous Productivity Dispersion: Theory and Non-Parametric Estimation," Papers 98-07, Centre for Labour Market and Social Research, Danmark-.
  18. Guido Menzio & Shouyong Shi, 2008. "Efficient Search on the Job and the Business Cycle, Second Version," PIER Working Paper Archive 09-010, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania, revised 28 Feb 2009.
  19. Andreas Hornstein & Per Krusell & Giovanni L. Violante, 2011. "Frictional Wage Dispersion in Search Models: A Quantitative Assessment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(7), pages 2873-98, December.
  20. Rasmus Lentz & Dale T. Mortensen, 2005. "Productivity Growth And Worker Reallocation," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 46(3), pages 731-749, 08.
  21. Jacob A. Mincer, 1974. "Introduction to "Schooling, Experience, and Earnings"," NBER Chapters, in: Schooling, Experience, and Earnings, pages 1-4 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  22. Melvyn G. Coles & Dale T. Mortensen, 2012. "Equilibrium Labor Turnover, Firm Growth and Unemployment," NBER Working Papers 18022, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  23. Robert H. Topel & Michael P. Ward, 1988. "Job Mobility and the Careers of Young Men," NBER Working Papers 2649, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  24. repec:ese:iserwp:2006-39 is not listed on IDEAS
  25. Bunzel, H. & Christensen, B.J. & Kiefer, N.M. & Korsholm, L., 1999. "Equilibrium Search with Human Capital Accumulation," Papers 99-11, Centre for Labour Market and Social Research, Danmark-.
  26. Jean-Marc Robin & Francois Fontaine & Fabien Postel-Vinay & Jesper Bagger, 2011. "A Feasible Equilibrium Search Model of Individual Wage Dynamics with Experience Accumulation," 2011 Meeting Papers 278, Society for Economic Dynamics.
  27. Audra J. Bowlus & Huju Liu, 2012. "The Contributions of Search and Human Capital to Earnings Growth Over the Life Cycle," University of Western Ontario, CIBC Centre for Human Capital and Productivity Working Papers 20122, University of Western Ontario, CIBC Centre for Human Capital and Productivity.
  28. Jolivet, Gregory & Postel-Vinay, Fabien & Robin, Jean-Marc, 2006. "The empirical content of the job search model: Labor mobility and wage distributions in Europe and the US," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(4), pages 877-907, May.
  29. Bontemps, Christian & Robin, Jean-Marc & Van den Berg, Gerard J, 1999. "An Empirical Equilibrium Job Search Model with Search on the Job and Heterogeneous Workers and Firms," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 40(4), pages 1039-74, November.
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Cited by:
  1. Volker Tjaden & Felix Wellschmied, 2011. "Exploring the Causes of Frictional Wage Dispersion," Bonn Econ Discussion Papers bgse04_2011, University of Bonn, Germany.
  2. Tjaden, Volker & Wellschmied, Felix, 2012. "Exploring the Causes of Frictional Wage Dispersion," IZA Discussion Papers 6299, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
  3. Audra J. Bowlus & Huju Liu, 2012. "The Contributions of Search and Human Capital to Earnings Growth Over the Life Cycle," University of Western Ontario, CIBC Centre for Human Capital and Productivity Working Papers 20122, University of Western Ontario, CIBC Centre for Human Capital and Productivity.

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