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The British low-wage sector and the employment prospects of the unemployed

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  • Alexander Plum

Abstract

Are low wages a way for the unemployed to switch to higher-paying jobs? Using data from the British Household Panel Survey, the labour market dynamics of unemployed, low-paid and higher-paid employed men are analysed. Moreover, the respective (un)employment duration and occupational skill level are accounted for. Results show that in general low wages significantly reduce the risk of future unemployment and increase the chances of ascending the salary ladder, especially in the case of long-term unemployment (>360 days). Furthermore, the occupational skill level has a substantial influence on the upward mobility of low-paid jobs: individuals working in the initial period in a low-paid and higher-skilled occupation have on average an 11 percentage points higher probability of entering higher pay compared to when working in a low-paid and low-skilled occupation.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexander Plum, 2019. "The British low-wage sector and the employment prospects of the unemployed," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(13), pages 1411-1432, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:v:51:y:2019:i:13:p:1411-1432
    DOI: 10.1080/00036846.2018.1527454
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/00036846.2018.1527454
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    Cited by:

    1. Plum, Alexander & Knies, Gundi, 2015. "Earnings prospects for low-paid workers higher than for the unemployed but only in high-pay areas with high unemployment," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 112845, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    2. Plum, Alexander & Knies, Gundi, 2015. "Does neighbourhood unemployment affect the springboard effect of low pay?," ISER Working Paper Series 2015-20, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    3. Pacheco, Gail & Plum, Alexander T. & Sloane, Peter J., 2020. "Not Much Bounce in the Springboard: On the Mobility of Low Pay Workers," IZA Discussion Papers 12896, IZA Network @ LISER.
    4. Alexander Plum & Gail Pacheco & Kabir Dasgupta, 2021. "When There is No Way Up: Reconsidering Low‐paid Jobs as Stepping‐stones," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 97(318), pages 387-409, September.
    5. Alexander Plum, 2016. "Reconsidering the interrelated dynamics of unemployment and low-wage employment in Great Britain," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 36(2), pages 1230-1241.
    6. Manuela Rozalia Gabor & Petruța Blaga & Cosmin Matis, 2019. "Supporting Employability by a Skills Assessment Innovative Tool—Sustainable Transnational Insights from Employers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-18, June.
    7. Alexander Plum & Gundi Knies, 2019. "Local unemployment changes the springboard effect of low pay: Evidence from England," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(11), pages 1-22, November.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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