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Efficiency Wages, Labor Heterogeneity and the Financing of the Training Cost

Author

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  • Wauthy, Xavier

    (UNIVERSITE CATHOLIQUE DE LOUVAIN, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES) ; Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS))

  • Zenou, Yves

    (UNIVERSITE CATHOLIQUE DE LOUVAIN, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE); Université Panthéon-Assas, ERMES, Paris)

Abstract

We consider a dual labor market with a continuum of heterogeneous workers differentiated by their ability of acquiring a specific training. In the primary sector, jobs require specific training and firms set efficiency wages. In the secondary sector, wages are competitive and no training is required. Given workers' heterogeneity, firms in the primary sector face an elastic labor supply, so that they can be labor constrained at the efficiency wage. When this is the case, we show that firms may optimally choose to bear all the training cost in order to relax the labor supply constraint.

Suggested Citation

  • Wauthy, Xavier & Zenou, Yves, 1997. "Efficiency Wages, Labor Heterogeneity and the Financing of the Training Cost," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 1997022, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    • Handle: RePEc:ctl:louvir:1997022
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    File URL: http://sites.uclouvain.be/econ/DP/IRES/9722.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bulow, Jeremy I & Summers, Lawrence H, 1986. "A Theory of Dual Labor Markets with Application to Industrial Policy,Discrimination, and Keynesian Unemployment," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 4(3), pages 376-414, July.
    2. Smith, Tony E. & Zenou, Yves, 1997. "Dual Labor Markets, Urban Unemployment, and Multicentric Cities," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 76(1), pages 185-214, September.
    3. Solow, Robert M., 1979. "Another possible source of wage stickiness," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 79-82.
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    5. Albrecht, James W & Vroman, Susan B, 1992. "Dual Labor Markets, Efficiency Wages, and Search," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 10(4), pages 438-461, October.
    6. Krueger, Alan B & Summers, Lawrence H, 1988. "Efficiency Wages and the Inter-industry Wage Structure," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 56(2), pages 259-293, March.
    7. Gottfries, Nils & McCormick, Barry, 1995. "Discrimination and open unemployment in a segmented labour market," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 1-15, January.
    8. Barry McCormick, 1990. "A Theory of Signalling During Job Search, Employment Efficiency, and "Stigmatised" Jobs," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 57(2), pages 299-313.
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    Cited by:

    1. Agénor, Pierre-Richard & Lim, King Yoong, 2018. "Unemployment, growth and welfare effects of labor market reforms," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 19-38.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    dual labor markets; efficiency wages; training costs; workers 'heterogeneity; labor supply constraint;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J41 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Labor Contracts

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