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Skill-bias and Wage Inequality in the EU New Member States: Empirical Investigation

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  • Jan Pintera

    (Institute of Economic Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic)

Abstract

We use the individual-level data on income and education level from the EU-SILC database to investigate the trends in income distribution and wage polarization in the EU New Member States. We do not confirm the existence of job polarization in wages and employment that has been observed in the United States or other developed countries. Rather, we document decreasing inequality, particularly in Czechia, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia. Also, our estimates of the elasticity of substitution between low and high skill labour are higher than often found in other countries. These results imply a different impact of globalization on the labour markets in the EU New Member States than in other countries. However, it remains unclear whether these differences are temporary or will prevail in the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan Pintera, 2022. "Skill-bias and Wage Inequality in the EU New Member States: Empirical Investigation," Working Papers IES 2022/26, Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Economic Studies, revised Oct 2022.
    • Handle: RePEc:fau:wpaper:wp2022_26
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    File URL: https://ies.fsv.cuni.cz/en/veda-vyzkum/working-papers/6705
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labor Markets; Technological Change; Polarization; Skills;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J30 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - General
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • O14 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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