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The Determinants of Employee Productivity and Earnings: Some New Evidence

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Author Info
Harry J. Holzer

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Abstract

This paper uses data from a nationwide sample of firms on employee wages and characteristics to reexamine the determinants of employee productivity and earnings. The data include several measures of job experience, training, and both worker and firm characteristics as well as subjective employer productivity ratings and earnings of workers. Given observations on the same individual at different points in time, we can consider both levels and changes in earnings and productivity, with various firm- and job-specific effects eliminated from the latter. The results show that: 1) Both previous experience and tenure in the current job have significant, positive effects on wages and productivity. Previous experience effects are found primarily on levels of wages and productivity while tenure affects occur for both current levels and changes. 2) Hours of training are positively related to productivity and wage growth but generally not to levels of either. 3) Among demographic characteristics, we find productivity growth and current productivity levels to be slightly higher for females while their wages are significantly lower. Other determinants of earnings and productivity ratings (e.g., such as various types of incentive pay and the fraction unionized) are considered here as well.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 2782.

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Date of creation: Dec 1988
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:2782

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Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. repec:fth:prinin:169 is not listed on IDEAS
  2. Jacob Mincer, 1988. "Job Training, Wage Growth, and Labor Turnover," NBER Working Papers 2690, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Medoff, James L & Abraham, Katharine G, 1980. "Experience, Performance, and Earnings," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 95(4), pages 703-36, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  4. Frank, Robert H, 1984. "Are Workers Paid Their Marginal Products?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 74(4), pages 549-71, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Meitzen, Mark E, 1986. "Differences in Male and Female Job-quitting Behavior," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 4(2), pages 151-67, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Lazear, Edward P, 1979. "Why Is There Mandatory Retirement?," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 87(6), pages 1261-84, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Seiler, Eric, 1984. "Piece Rate vs. Time Rate: The Effect of Incentives on Earnings," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 66(3), pages 363-76, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. James N. Brown, 1983. "Are Those Paid More Really No More Productive? Measuring the Relative Importance of Tenure Versus On-The-Job Training in Explaining Wage Growth," Working Papers 549, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section.. [Downloadable!]
  9. Barron, John M & Black, Dan A & Loewenstein, Mark A, 1989. "Job Matching and On-the-Job Training," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 7(1), pages 1-19, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Katharine G. Abraham & Henry S. Farber, 1987. "Job Duration, Seniority, and Earnings," NBER Working Papers 1819, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  11. Lazear, Edward P, 1986. "Salaries and Piece Rates," Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 59(3), pages 405-31, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Barron, John M & Loewenstein, Mark A, 1986. "On Imperfect Evaluation and Earning Differentials," Economic Inquiry, Oxford University Press, vol. 24(4), pages 595-614, October.
  13. Weiss, Andrew, 1988. "High School Graduation, Performance, and Wages," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 96(4), pages 785-820, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Harry J. Holzer, 1990. "Wages, Employer Costs, and Employee Performance in the Firm," NBER Working Papers 2830, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. Ponzo, Michela & Scoppa, Vincenzo, 2008. "The Use of Informal Networks in Italian Labor Markets: Efficiency or Favoritisms?," MPRA Paper 11764, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
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