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The Cross-Section of Labor Leverage and Equity Returns

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Using a standard production model, we demonstrate theoretically that, even if labor is fully flexible, it generates a form of operating leverage if (a) wages are smoother than productivity and (b) the capital-labor elasticity of substitution is strictly less than one. Our model supports using labor share?the ratio of labor expenses to value added?as a proxy for labor leverage. We show evidence for conditions (a) and (b), and we demonstrate the economic significance of labor leverage: High labor-share firms have operating profits that are more sensitive to shocks, and they have higher expected asset returns.

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  • Andres Donangelo & François Gourio & Matthias Kehrig & Miguel Palacios, 2017. "The Cross-Section of Labor Leverage and Equity Returns," Working Paper Series WP-2017-22, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedhwp:wp-2017-22
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labor leverage; labor mobility; labor supply; wages; productivity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J20 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - General
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion

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