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How Sticky Wages in Existing Jobs Can Affect Hiring

Author

Listed:
  • Mark Bils
  • Yongsung Chang
  • Sun-Bin Kim

Abstract

We consider a matching model of employment with flexible wages for new hires but sticky wages within matches. Unlike most models of sticky wages, we allow effort to respond if wages are too high or too low. In the Mortensen-Pissarides model, employment is not affected by wage stickiness in existing matches. But it is in our model. If wages of matched workers are stuck too high, firms require more effort, lowering the value of additional labor and reducing hiring. We find that effort's response can greatly increase wage inertia.

Suggested Citation

  • Mark Bils & Yongsung Chang & Sun-Bin Kim, 2022. "How Sticky Wages in Existing Jobs Can Affect Hiring," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 14(1), pages 1-37, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejmac:v:14:y:2022:i:1:p:1-37
    DOI: 10.1257/mac.20190338
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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. How Sticky Wages In Existing Jobs Can Affect Hiring
      by Christian Zimmermann in NEP-DGE blog on 2019-11-27 18:53:46

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
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    Cited by:

    1. Michael Redmond & Willem Van Zandweghe, 2016. "The Lasting Damage from the Financial Crisis to U.S. Productivity," Macro Bulletin, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, pages 1-3, March.
    2. Marco Fongoni, 2018. "Workers' reciprocity and the (ir)relevance of wage cyclicality for the volatility of job creation," Working Papers 1809, University of Strathclyde Business School, Department of Economics.
    3. Bauer, Anja & Lochner, Benjamin, 2020. "History dependence in wages and cyclical selection: Evidence from Germany," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    4. Jeffrey Clemens & Lisa B. Kahn & Jonathan Meer, 2018. "The Minimum Wage, Fringe Benefits, and Worker Welfare," NBER Working Papers 24635, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Mikael Carlsson & Andreas Westermark, 2022. "Endogenous Separations, Wage Rigidities, and Unemployment Volatility," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 14(1), pages 332-354, January.
    6. Frank Smets & Joris Tielens & Jan Van Hove, 2018. "Pipeline Pressures and Sectoral Inflation Dynamics," Working Paper Research 351, National Bank of Belgium.
    7. He, Chao & Fan, Xiaodong, 2024. "The paradox of search intensity," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 221(C).
    8. repec:ptu:bdpart:b201415 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Jonathon Hazell & Bledi Taska, 2020. "Downward Rigidity in the Wage for New Hires," Discussion Papers 2028, Centre for Macroeconomics (CFM).
    10. Andrew Snell & Heiko Stuber & Jonathan Thomas, 2018. "Downward Real Wage Rigidity and Equal Treatment Wage Contracts: Theory and Evidence," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 30, pages 265-284, October.
    11. Radek Šauer, 2022. "Corporate Taxation in Open Economies," CESifo Working Paper Series 9942, CESifo.
    12. Bordo, Michael & Erceg, Christopher & Levin, Andrew & Michaels, Ryan, 2017. "Policy credibility and alternative approaches to disinflation," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(3), pages 422-440.
    13. Jung, Euiyoung, 2023. "Wage rigidity and destabilizing spirals," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    14. Fernando Martins & Pedro Portugal, 2014. "Wage adjustments during a severe economic downturn," Economic Bulletin and Financial Stability Report Articles and Banco de Portugal Economic Studies, Banco de Portugal, Economics and Research Department.
    15. Ho, Cheuk Yin, 2025. "Do sticky prices or sticky wages matter for monetary non-neutrality?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 251(C).
    16. Lenno Uuskula, 2015. "Firm turnover and inflation dynamics," Bank of Estonia Working Papers wp2015-01, Bank of Estonia, revised 03 Feb 2015.
    17. Guimaraes, Paulo & Martins, Fernando & Portugal, Pedro, 2017. "Upward Nominal Wage Rigidity," IZA Discussion Papers 10510, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Yicheng Wang, 2015. "Can Wage Dynamics in Long-term Employment Relationships Help Mitigate Financial Shocks?," 2015 Meeting Papers 1189, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    19. Lewis, Vivien & Villa, Stefania & Wolters, Maik H., 2019. "Labor productivity, effort and the euro area business cycle," Discussion Papers 44/2019, Deutsche Bundesbank.

    More about this item

    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
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • 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
    • M51 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Firm Employment Decisions; Promotions

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