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Wage Growth, Productivity Growth, and the Evolution of Employment

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  • Hellwig, Martin
  • Irmen, Andreas

Abstract

This Paper studies the impact of wage growth on the evolution of employment in an intertemporal general-equilibrium model with endogenous productivity growth. For real wage growth above laissez-faire levels, we obtain steady-state equilibria in which productivity grows at the same rate as wages, the real interest rate is below the laissez-faire level, and so is the common growth rate of consumption, demand, and output. In these steady-state equilibria employment contracts at a constant rate equal to the difference between the growth rates of productivity and output. This contrasts with the view that equality of wage growth and productivity growth is a condition for constant employment.

Suggested Citation

  • Hellwig, Martin & Irmen, Andreas, 2001. "Wage Growth, Productivity Growth, and the Evolution of Employment," CEPR Discussion Papers 2927, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:2927
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    Cited by:

    1. Thomas Habanabakize & Daniel Francois Meyer & Judit Oláh, 2019. "The Impact of Productivity, Investment and Real Wages on Employment Absorption Rate in South Africa," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Koeniger, Winfried, 2002. "Defensive Innovations," IZA Discussion Papers 454, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Martin Hellwig, 2004. "The Relation between Real Wage Rates and Employment: An Intertemporal General‐ Equilibrium Analysis," German Economic Review, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 5(3), pages 263-295, August.
    4. Luciano Fanti & Luca Gori, 2011. "On economic growth and minimum wages," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 103(1), pages 59-82, May.
    5. Antimiani, Alessandro & Cernat, Lucian, 2017. "Liberalizing global trade in Mode 5 services: how much is worth?," Conference papers 332872, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    6. Irmen Andreas, 2020. "Endogenous task-based technical change—factor scarcity and factor prices," Economics and Business Review, Sciendo, vol. 6(2), pages 81-118, June.
    7. Lutz G. Arnold, 2006. "Does the Choice between Wage Inequality and Unemployment Affect Productivity Growth?," German Economic Review, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 7(1), pages 87-112, February.
    8. Lutz G. Arnold, 2006. "Does the Choice between Wage Inequality and Unemployment Affect Productivity Growth?," German Economic Review, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 7(1), pages 87-112, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Endogenous technical change; Perfect competition; Productivity growth; Wages; Employment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • D92 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Intertemporal Firm Choice, Investment, Capacity, and Financing
    • E20 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • J30 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - General
    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General

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