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Wages, Productivity, and the Dynamic Interaction of Businesses and Workers

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Author Info
John Haltiwanger
Julia Lane
James Spletzer

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Abstract

This paper exploits a new matched universal and longitudinal employer-employee database at the US Census Bureau to empirically investigate the link between firms' choice of worker mix and the implied relationships between productivity and wages. We particularly focus on the decision making process of new firms and examine the role of both learning and selection. Our key empirical results are: (i) We find substantial and persistent differences in earnings per worker, output per worker, and worker mix across businesses within narrowly defined industries, which remain even after controlling for other observable characteristics. (ii) We find that new businesses exhibit even greater heterogeneity in earnings and productivity than do mature businesses, but that they adjust to the mature business pattern as they age. The adjustment process, while different for earnings and productivity, is consistent both with firms learning as they age and with the exit of mistake' prone firms. (iii) The dynamics of the reduction in productivity heterogeneity of new firms as they age is both complex and very different from the dynamic reduction of earnings heterogeneity.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 7994.

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Date of creation: Nov 2000
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:7994

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand

References listed on IDEAS
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.:

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  2. Angrist, Joshua D & Krueger, Alan B, 1991. "Does Compulsory School Attendance Affect Schooling and Earnings?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 106(4), pages 979-1014, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  3. Burgess, Simon & Lane, Julia & Stevens, David, 2000. "Job Flows, Worker Flows, and Churning," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 18(3), pages 473-502, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Francesco Caselli, 1999. "Technological Revolutions," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(1), pages 78-102, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. John C. Haltiwanger & Julia I. Lane & James R. Spletzer, 1999. "Productivity Differences across Employers: The Roles of Employer Size, Age, and Human Capital," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(2), pages 94-98, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Timothy Dunne & John Haltiwanger & Lucia Foster, 2000. "Wage and Productivity Dispersion in U.S. Manufacturing: The Role of Computer Investment," NBER Working Papers 7465, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  7. Lucia Foster & John Haltiwanger & C.J. Krizan, 1998. "Aggregate Productivity Growth: Lessons from Microeconomic Evidence," NBER Working Papers 6803, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Doms, Mark & Dunne, Timothy & Troske, Kenneth R, 1997. "Workers, Wages, and Technology," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 112(1), pages 253-90, February.
  9. Milgrom, Paul & Roberts, John, 1990. "The Economics of Modern Manufacturing: Technology, Strategy, and Organization," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(3), pages 511-28, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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    Other versions:
  11. Jovanovic, Boyan, 1982. "Selection and the Evolution of Industry," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(3), pages 649-70, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Judith K. Hellerstein & David Neumark & Kenneth R. Troske, 1996. "Wages, Productivity, and Worker Characteristics: Evidence from Plant-Level Production Functions and Wage Equations," NBER Working Papers 5626, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  13. John M. Abowd & Francis Kramarz & David N. Margolis, 1999. "High Wage Workers and High Wage Firms," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 67(2), pages 251-334, March.
    Other versions:
  14. Steven J. Davis & John Haltiwanger, 1990. "Gross Job Creation and Destruction: Microeconomic Evidence and Macroeconomic Implications," NBER Chapters, in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 1990, Volume 5, pages 123-186 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!]
  15. Steven J. Davis & John C. Haltiwanger & Scott Schuh, 1998. "Job Creation and Destruction," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262540932.
  16. Lane, Julia I. & Salmon, Laurie A. & Spletzer, James R., 2007. "Establishment Wage Differentials," Working Papers 403, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. [Downloadable!]
  17. Spletzer, James R, 2000. "The Contribution of Establishment Births and Deaths to Employment Growth," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 18(1), pages 113-26, January.
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  19. Evans, David S, 1987. "Tests of Alternative Theories of Firm Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 95(4), pages 657-74, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  20. Audretsch, David B & Mahmood, Talat, 1995. "New Firm Survival: New Results Using a Hazard Function," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 77(1), pages 97-103, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  21. Julia I. Lane & Alan G. Isaac & David W. Stevens, 1996. "Firm Heterogeneity and Worker Turnover," Labor and Demography 9602001, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
  22. Russell Cooper & John Haltiwanger & Laura Power, 1999. "Machine Replacement and the Business Cycle: Lumps and Bumps," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(4), pages 921-946, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  23. Juhn, Chinhui & Murphy, Kevin M & Pierce, Brooks, 1993. "Wage Inequality and the Rise in Returns to Skill," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 101(3), pages 410-42, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Cited by:
(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. Katharine G. Abraham & John C. Haltiwanger & Kristin Sandusky & James Spletzer, 2009. "Exploring Differences in Employment between Household and Establishment Data," NBER Working Papers 14805, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. Davis, Elizabeth & Freedman, Matthew & Lane, Julia & McCall, Brian & Nestoriak, Nicole & Park, Timothy, 2005. "Product Market Competition and Human Resource Practices: An Analysis of the Retail Food Sector," Working Papers 14349, University of Minnesota, The Food Industry Center. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Uschi Backes-Gellner & Stephan Veen, 2008. "The Impact of Workforce Age Heterogeneity on Company Productivity," Working Papers 0078, University of Zurich, Institute for Strategy and Business Economics (ISU), revised Sep 2009. [Downloadable!]
  4. Booth, Alison L & Zoega, Gylfi, 2000. "Why Do Firms Invest in General Training? 'Good' Firms and 'Bad' Firms as a Source of Monopsony Power," CEPR Discussion Papers 2536, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. Mamede, Ricardo, 2006. "Towards an integrated approach to industry dynamics and labour mobility," MPRA Paper 3994, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Hannu Piekkola, 2000. "Unobserved Human Capital and Firm-Size Premium," Discussion Papers 739, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy. [Downloadable!]
  7. Susanna Iranzo & Fabiano Schivardi & Elisa Tosetti, 2006. "Skill dispersion and firm productivity; an analysis with employer-employee matched data," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 577, Bank of Italy, Economic Research Department. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  8. Linda Barrington & Kenneth R. Troske, 2001. "Workforce Diversity and Productivity: An Analysis of Employer-Employee Match Data," Economics Program Working Papers 01-02, The Conference Board, Economics Program. [Downloadable!]
  9. Julia Lane & Robert M. Feinberg & Harry Broadman, 2002. "Do Labour Strategies Matter? An Analysis of Two Enterprise-Level Data Sets in China," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 9(2), pages 225-237, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Paul A. Lengermann, 2002. "Is it Who You Are, Where You Work, or With Whom You Work? Reassessing the Relationship Between Skill Segregation and Wage Inequality," Technical Papers 2002-10, Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau. [Downloadable!]
  11. John M. Abowd & John Haltiwanger & Julia Lane & Kevin L. McKinney & Kristin Sandusky, 2007. "Technology and the Demand for Skill:An Analysis of Within and Between Firm Differences," NBER Working Papers 13043, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  12. Sid Durbin, 2004. "Review of Workplace Skills, Technology Adoption and Firm Productivity: A Review," Treasury Working Paper Series 04/16, New Zealand Treasury. [Downloadable!]
  13. Jose Varejao & Anabela Carneiro, 2005. "Plant Turnover and the Evolution of Regional Inequalities," ERSA conference papers ersa05p709, European Regional Science Association. [Downloadable!]
  14. Katsuya Takii, 2008. "The Persistence of Differences in Productivity, Wages, Skill Mixes and Profits Between Firms in a Rapidly Changing Environment," OSIPP Discussion Paper 08E003, Osaka School of International Public Policy, Osaka University. [Downloadable!]
  15. Fredrik Andersson & Elizabeth E. Davis & Matthew L. Freedman & Julia I. Lane & Brian P. McCall & L. Kristin Sandusky, . "Decomposing the Sources of Earnings Inequality Assessing the Role of Reallocation," Working Papers 0106, Industrial Relations Center, University of Minnesota (Twin Cities Campus). [Downloadable!]
  16. Giuseppe Moscarini & Francis Vella, 2002. "Aggregate worker reallocation and occupational mobility in the United States: 1971-2000," IFS Working Papers W02/18, Institute for Fiscal Studies. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  17. Navon, Guy, 2009. "Human Capital Spillovers in the Workplace: Labor Diversity and Productivity," MPRA Paper 17741, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  18. Andersson, Fredrik & Burgess, Simon & Lane, Julia, 2009. "Do as the Neighbors Do: The Impact of Social Networks on Immigrant Employment," IZA Discussion Papers 4423, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  19. Lane, Julia I. & Salmon, Laurie A. & Spletzer, James R., 2007. "Establishment Wage Differentials," Working Papers 403, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. [Downloadable!]
  20. Satu Nurmi, 2004. "Plant Size, Age and Growth in Finnish Manufacturing," Finnish Economic Papers, Finnish Economic Association, vol. 17(1), pages 3-17, Spring. [Downloadable!]
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This page was last updated on 2009-11-25.

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