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Flexibility Policies and Re-employment Probabilities in Italy

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  • Mussida Chiara

    (Department of Economics and Social Sciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza, Italy)

  • Sciulli Dario

    (Department of Economic Studies, Università di Chieti-Pescara, Viale Pindaro 42, Pescara 65127, Italy)

Abstract

We analyze the effects of Italian labor market reforms “at the margin” on the probability of exiting from non-employment and entering permanent and temporary contracts, using WHIP data for the period 1985–2004. We find that the reforms have strengthened the duration dependence parameter, meaning a stronger labor market gap in employment opportunities between the short- and long-term non-employed. We suggest that in a flexible labor market, long-term unemployment is used by firms as a screening device to detect less productive workers. We also find evidence of greater differences in employment opportunities according to gender, and of reduced differences between regional labor markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Mussida Chiara & Sciulli Dario, 2015. "Flexibility Policies and Re-employment Probabilities in Italy," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 15(2), pages 621-651, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bejeap:v:15:y:2015:i:2:p:621-651:n:4
    DOI: 10.1515/bejeap-2013-0180
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    Cited by:

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    2. Bruno Contini & Roberto Quaranta, 2019. "Is Long-Term Non-employment a Lifetime Disease?," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 5(1), pages 79-102, March.
    3. Chiara Mussida & Luca Zanin, 2020. "I found a better job opportunity! Voluntary job mobility of employees and temporary contracts before and after the great recession in France, Italy and Spain," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 59(1), pages 47-98, July.
    4. Chiara Mussida & Dario Sciulli, 2016. "The trend over time of labour market opportunities for young people in Italy," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 33(2), pages 291-321, August.
    5. Carolina Fugazza, 2018. "Anatomy of Unemployment Risk," Working papers 048, Department of Economics and Statistics (Dipartimento di Scienze Economico-Sociali e Matematico-Statistiche), University of Torino.
    6. Fugazza Carolina, 2019. "Anatomy of Non-Employment Risk," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 19(3), pages 1-19, July.

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