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Asymmetries in Earnings, Employment and Wage Risk in Great Britain

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  • Konstantinos Angelopoulos
  • Spyridon Lazarakis
  • Jim Malley

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between idiosyncratic risk in labour income and fluctuations in aggregate labour market quantities for Great Britain. We use data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) for 1991-2008 and from the BHPS sub-sample of Understanding Society for 2010-2014. We measure idiosyncratic risk in labour income by the relevant moments of the distributions of earnings, employment and wage shocks across individuals. Our main finding is that idiosyncratic risk increases during contractions in the labour market. Furthermore, we find evidence of insurance, both at the household level and in the form of public insurance. However, private and public insurance mechanisms against an increase in idiosyncratic risk are less e¤ective for households whose head does not hold a University degree.

Suggested Citation

  • Konstantinos Angelopoulos & Spyridon Lazarakis & Jim Malley, 2017. "Asymmetries in Earnings, Employment and Wage Risk in Great Britain," CESifo Working Paper Series 6400, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_6400
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    Cited by:

    1. Konstantinos Angelopoulos & Spyridon Lazarakis & James Malley, 2017. "Wealth inequality and externalities from ex ante skill heterogeneity," Working Papers 2017_07, Business School - Economics, University of Glasgow.
    2. Konstantinos Angelopoulos & Spyridon Lazarakis & Jim Malley, 2017. "Wealth Inequality and Externalities from Ex Ante Skill Heterogeneity," CESifo Working Paper Series 6572, CESifo.
    3. Konstantinos Angelopoulos & Andrea Benecchi & Jim Malley, 2017. "Can Subsidising Job-Related Training Reduce Inequality?," CESifo Working Paper Series 6605, CESifo.
    4. Konstantinos Angelopoulos & Andrea Benecchi & James Malley, 2017. "Can subsidising job-related training reduce inequality?," Working Papers 2017_10, Business School - Economics, University of Glasgow.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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