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The Structure of Worker Compensation in Brazil, With a Comparison to France and the United States

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  • Filho, Naerico Aquino Menezes
  • Muendler, Marc-Andreas
  • Ramey, Garey

Abstract

We employ a comprehensive linked employer-employee data set for Brazil to analyze wage determinants and compare results to Abowd, Kramarz, Margolis and Troske (2001) for French and U.S. manufacturing. While returns to human capital variables in Brazilian manufacturing exceed those of the other countries, occupation and gender differentials are similar. The worker characteristics component of individual compensation accounts for much of the greater wage inequality in Brazil, but the establishment-fixed component has scant explanatory power. Thus, firm- or industry-level factors have little scope for explaining the differences in wage inequality. Brazil's wage structure closely resembles that of France, a country with some similarity in labor-market institutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Filho, Naerico Aquino Menezes & Muendler, Marc-Andreas & Ramey, Garey, 2006. "The Structure of Worker Compensation in Brazil, With a Comparison to France and the United States," University of California at San Diego, Economics Working Paper Series qt8pr105rg, Department of Economics, UC San Diego.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdl:ucsdec:qt8pr105rg
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Wage structure; wage inequality; linked employer-employee data; formal and informal employment; selectivity; Brazil;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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