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Short Job Tenures and Firing Taxes in the Search Theory of Unemployment

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  • Vasileios Gkionakis

Abstract

This paper studies the effects of firing taxes on the job destruction rate, when probationperiod - or temporary contract - policies are implemented in an otherwise exogenous jobseparation search model. It is shown that contrary to conventional wisdom, firing taxescan amplify the job turnover rate by providing incentives to destroy surviving matches atthe end of the probation period. Moreover, low skill workers are shown to be moreseverely affected while wage inequality across different productivity groups mayincrease.

Suggested Citation

  • Vasileios Gkionakis, 2004. "Short Job Tenures and Firing Taxes in the Search Theory of Unemployment," CEP Discussion Papers dp0628, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    • Handle: RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp0628
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labor market policies; Firing taxes; Probation period; Temporary contracts; Unemployment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
    • J63 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity

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