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Identifying Sorting in Practice

Author

Listed:
  • Cristian Bartolucci
  • Francesco Devicienti
  • Ignacio Monzón

Abstract

We propose a novel methodology to uncover the sorting pattern in labor markets. We identify the strength of sorting solely from a ranking of firms by profits. To discern the sign of sorting, we build a noisy ranking of workers from wage data. Our test for the sign of sorting is consistent even with noisy worker rankings. We apply our approach to a panel dataset that combines social security earnings records with detailed financial data for firms in the Veneto region of Italy. We find robust evidence of positive sorting. The correlation between worker and firm types is about 52%.

Suggested Citation

  • Cristian Bartolucci & Francesco Devicienti & Ignacio Monzón, 2018. "Identifying Sorting in Practice," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 10(4), pages 408-438, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:10:y:2018:i:4:p:408-38
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/app.20170068
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    Cited by:

    1. Xiaoming Cai & Pieter Gautier & Ronald Wolthoff, 2025. "Search, Screening, and Sorting," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 17(3), pages 205-236, July.
    2. Luca Paolo Merlino & Pierpaolo Parrotta & Dario Pozzoli, 2018. "Gender Differences in Sorting," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(4), pages 671-709, October.
    3. Gianluca Orefice & Giovanni Peri, 2020. "Immigration and Worker-Firm Matching," Working Papers DT/2020/02, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    4. Long Hong & Salvatore Lattanzio, 2025. "The Peer Effect on Future Wages in the Workplace," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(5), pages 521-539, August.
    5. Colja Schneck, 2021. "Trends in Wage Inequality in the Netherlands," De Economist, Springer, vol. 169(3), pages 253-289, August.
    6. Patrick Kline & Raffaele Saggio & Mikkel Sølvsten, 2020. "Leave‐Out Estimation of Variance Components," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 88(5), pages 1859-1898, September.
    7. Peeters, Thomas & van Ours, Jan C., 2022. "International Assortative Matching in the European Labor Market," IZA Discussion Papers 15521, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Belloc, Filippo, 2022. "Profit sharing and innovation across organizational layers," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 598-623.
    9. Crane, Leland D. & Hyatt, Henry R. & Murray, Seth M., 2023. "Cyclical labor market sorting," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 233(2), pages 524-543.
    10. Andreas Gulyas, 2018. "Identifying Labor Market Sorting with Firm Dynamics," 2018 Meeting Papers 856, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    11. Alex Xi He & John Kennes & Daniel le Maire, 2018. "Complementarity and Advantage in the Competing Auctions of Skills," Economics Working Papers 2018-10, Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University.
    12. Alessia Matano & Paolo Naticchioni, 2017. "The Extent of Rent Sharing along the Wage Distribution," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 55(4), pages 751-777, December.
    13. Toru Kitagawa & Martin Nybom & Jan Stuhler, 2018. "Measurement error and rank correlations," CeMMAP working papers CWP28/18, Centre for Microdata Methods and Practice, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    14. Luca Paolo Merlino & Pierpaolo Parrotta & Dario Pozzoli, 2018. "Gender Differences in Sorting," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(4), pages 671-709, October.
    15. Francesco Devicienti & Bernardo Fanfani, 2025. "Firms' margins of adjustment to wage growth: the case of Italian collective bargaining," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 92(365), pages 107-149, January.
    16. Arellano-Bover, Jaime & Saltiel, Fernando, 2021. "Differences in On-the-Job Learning across Firms," IZA Discussion Papers 14473, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    17. Benjamin Lochner & Bastian Schulz, 2024. "Firm Productivity, Wages, and Sorting," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 42(1), pages 85-119.
    18. Schulz, Bastian & Lochner, Benjamin, 2016. "Labor Market Sorting in Germany," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145902, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    19. Grinza, Elena & Quatraro, Francesco, 2019. "Workers’ replacements and firms’ innovation dynamics: New evidence from Italian matched longitudinal data," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(9), pages 1-1.
    20. Philipp Ehrl, 2019. "On The Use Of Firm Fixed Effects As A Productivity Measure For Analyzing Labor Market Matching," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(2), pages 195-208, April.
    21. GORYUNOV, Maxim, 2017. "Sorting when firms have size," Economics Working Papers MWP 2017/09, European University Institute.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J41 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Labor Contracts
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance

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