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Performance Pay, Sorting, and Outsourcing

Author

Listed:
  • Henneberger, Fred

    (University of St. Gallen)

  • Sousa-Poza, Alfonso

    (University of Hohenheim)

  • Ziegler, Alexandre

    (University of Lausanne)

Abstract

Implementing performance pay requires that workers' output be measured. When measurement costs differ among firms, those with a measurement cost advantage choose to implement performance pay. They attract the best workers, and both the level and variability of compensation are higher at these firms than at salary firms. Workers may select firms with different compensation methods at different stages of their work life. Productive workers start at performance pay firms and switch to salary firms once their productivity is revealed. The magnitude of the resulting worker flows depends on the payoff from effort and is therefore related to the age profile of the wage differential between performance pay and salary firms. Advantages in measuring worker productivity constitute a plausible explanation for the emergence of specialized business related service (BRS) firms. Accordingly, BRS firms should make a much wider use of performance pay and employ better workers than diversified corporations. Data from the 1998 Swiss Wage Structure Survey confirm the model's predictions both for the economy at large and for BRS firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Henneberger, Fred & Sousa-Poza, Alfonso & Ziegler, Alexandre, 2007. "Performance Pay, Sorting, and Outsourcing," IZA Discussion Papers 3019, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp3019
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. K. Sommerfeld, 2013. "Higher and higher? Performance pay and wage inequality in Germany," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(30), pages 4236-4247, October.
    2. Ola Kvaløy & Trond E. Olsen, 2012. "The Rise of Individual Performance Pay," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(2), pages 493-518, June.
    3. Belloc, Filippo, 2022. "Profit sharing and innovation across organizational layers," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 598-623.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    asymmetric information; sorting; incentives; productivity; outsourcing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J29 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Other
    • J50 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - General

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