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Wage Posting or Wage Bargaining? Evidence from the Employers' Side

Author

Listed:
  • Brenzel, Hanna

    (Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nuremberg)

  • Gartner, Hermann

    (Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nuremberg)

  • Schnabel, Claus

    (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg)

Abstract

Using a representative establishment dataset, this paper is the first to analyze the incidence of wage posting and wage bargaining in the matching process from the employer's side. We show that both modes of wage determination coexist in the German labor market, with about two-thirds of hirings being characterized by wage posting. Wage posting dominates in the public sector, in larger firms, in firms covered by collective agreements, and in part-time and fixed-term contracts. Job-seekers who are unemployed, out of the labor force or just finished their apprenticeship are also less likely to get a chance of negotiating. Wage bargaining is more likely for more-educated applicants and in jobs with special requirements as well as in tight regional labor markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Brenzel, Hanna & Gartner, Hermann & Schnabel, Claus, 2013. "Wage Posting or Wage Bargaining? Evidence from the Employers' Side," IZA Discussion Papers 7624, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp7624
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    hiring; wage bargaining; wage posting; matching; Germany;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • 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
    • J63 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs
    • M51 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Firm Employment Decisions; Promotions

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