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Labor Market Dynamics and Wage Losses of Displaced Workers in France and the United-States

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  • Arnaud Lefranc

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to provide a comparative assessment of the consequences of worker displacement in France and the United States. I estimate wage losses of displaced workers in the two countries and examine the relative contribution of two important sources of post-displacement wage adjustments. The first one relates to the loss of seniority-accumulated firmspecific earnings potential. The second one arises from match heterogeneity. Identification of the relative contribution of these two sources can be achieved given separate estimates of returns to seniority. I show that, while the order of magnitude of total wage losses are comparable in the two economies (10 to 15%), the sources of wage adjustments differ strongly: all of the wage decline in France seems to be due to the loss of accumulated firm-specific earnings potential, while in the US, more than half of measured wage losses arise from a downgrading of displaced workers into lower quality job matches.
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Suggested Citation

  • Arnaud Lefranc, 2002. "Labor Market Dynamics and Wage Losses of Displaced Workers in France and the United-States," Thema Working Papers 2002-15, THEMA (Théorie Economique, Modélisation et Applications), CY Cergy-Paris University, ESSEC and CNRS.
    • Handle: RePEc:ema:worpap:2002-15
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Anabela Carneiro & Pedro Portugal, 2006. "Earnings Losses of Displaced Workers: Evidence from a Matched Employer-employee Data Set," CEF.UP Working Papers 0607, Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto.
    2. Alain Delacroix & Etienne Wasmer, 2007. "Job and Workers Flows in Europe and the US: Specific Skills or Employment Protection?," Post-Print hal-01053160, HAL.
    3. Anja Deelen, 2011. "Wage-Tenure Profiles and Mobility," CPB Discussion Paper 198, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    4. Lalé, Etienne, 2012. "Trends in occupational mobility in France: 1982–2009," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 373-387.
    5. Etienne Wasmer & Peter Fredriksson & Ana Lamo & Julian Messina & Giovanni Peri, 2005. "The Macroeconomics of Education," Post-Print hal-03458955, HAL.
    6. Garcia Perez, Jose Ignacio & Rebollo Sanz, Yolanda, 2005. "Wage changes through job mobility in Europe: A multinomial endogenous switching approach," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(4), pages 531-555, August.
    7. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/9064 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/9938 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/8904 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Alain Delacroix & Etienne Wasmer, 2007. "Job and Workers Flows in Europe and the US: Specific Skills or Employment Protection?," Post-Print hal-01053160, HAL.
    11. Etienne Wasmer & Peter Fredriksson & Ana Lamo & Julian Messina & Giovanni Peri, 2005. "The Macroeconomics of Education," Post-Print hal-03458955, HAL.
    12. Anja Deelen, 2012. "Wage-Tenure Profiles and Mobility," De Economist, Springer, vol. 160(2), pages 141-155, June.
    13. Wiljan van den Berge, 2019. "Automatic Reaction – What Happens to Workers at Firms that Automate?," CPB Discussion Paper 390.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    14. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/8904 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Amynah Vanessa Gangji & Robert Plasman, 2007. "The Matthew effect of unemployment: how does it affect wages in Belgium," DULBEA Working Papers 07-19.RS, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    16. Wasmer, Etienne, 2002. "Interpreting Europe and US Labor Markets Differences: The Specificity of Human Capital Investments," IZA Discussion Papers 549, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    17. Julie L. Hotchkiss & M. Melinda Pitts & John C. Robertson, 2004. "Wage gains among job changers across the business cycle: insight from state administrative data," FRB Atlanta Working Paper 2004-19, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
    18. Etienne Wasmer, 2006. "Interpreting Europe and US labor markets differences : the specificity of human capital investments," SciencePo Working papers hal-01021294, HAL.
    19. Anil Duman, 2010. "Risks in the labor market and social insurance preferences: Germany and the USA," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 37(2), pages 150-164, January.
    20. Wiljan van den Berge, 2019. "Automatic Reaction – What Happens to Workers at Firms that Automate?," CPB Discussion Paper 390, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    21. Barry, Frank & Walsh, Frank, 2008. "Gains and losses from sectoral relocation: A review of theory and empirics," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 4-16, March.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J63 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
    • J65 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment Insurance; Severance Pay; Plant Closings

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