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Recent Changes in British Wage Inequality: Evidence from Large Firms and Occupations

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  • Daniel Schaefer
  • Carl Singleton

Abstract

Using a linked employer–employee dataset covering large firms, we present new evidence on British wage inequality trends over the past two decades. Differences between firms in the average wages they paid did not drive these trends. Between 1996 and 2005, greater wage variance within firms accounted for 86% of the total increase in wage variance among employees. In the following decade, wage inequality between firms continued to increase, whereas overall wage dispersion decreased. Approximately all the contribution to inequality dynamics from estimated firm‐specific factors, throughout the employee wage distribution, disappears after accounting for the changing occupational content of wages.

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  • Daniel Schaefer & Carl Singleton, 2020. "Recent Changes in British Wage Inequality: Evidence from Large Firms and Occupations," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 67(1), pages 100-125, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:scotjp:v:67:y:2020:i:1:p:100-125
    DOI: 10.1111/sjpe.12225
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    Cited by:

    1. Daniel Schaefer & Carl Singleton, 2021. "The Extent of Downward Nominal Wage Rigidity: New Evidence from Payroll Data," Economics Discussion Papers em-dp2021-22, Department of Economics, University of Reading.
    2. Daniel Schaefer & Carl Singleton, 2020. "Nominal Wage Adjustments and the Composition of Pay: New Evidence from Payroll Data," Economics Discussion Papers em-dp2020-01, Department of Economics, University of Reading.
    3. Brian D. Bell & Nicholas Bloom & Jack Blundell, 2021. "This Time is Not so Different: Income Dynamics During the COVID-19 Recession," NBER Working Papers 28871, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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