IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/nbr/nberwo/5687.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Deregulation and Labor Earnings in the Airline Industry

Author

Listed:
  • David Card

Abstract

This paper uses a variety of data sources to study the effect of deregulation on the structure of wages in the airline industry. Microdata from the 1980 and 1990 Censuses show a 10 percent decline in the relative earnings of airline workers after deregulation, with roughly similar declines for industry-specific occupations (pilots and flight attendants) and general occupations (managers and secretaries). Union contract data for pilots, flight attendants and mechanics at the major firms show similar trends in the levels of earnings along with a rise in inter-firm wage inequality -- especially for pilots. Finally, data from the displaced worker surveys reveal that airline workers experienced similar wage losses to job-losers from other industries over the 1980s. Taken as a whole, the evidence suggests that the rent premiums earned by airline workers in the regulatory era were relatively modest, and comparable to the wage premiums earned in many other sectors.

Suggested Citation

  • David Card, 1996. "Deregulation and Labor Earnings in the Airline Industry," NBER Working Papers 5687, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:5687
    Note: LS
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.nber.org/papers/w5687.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Francine D. Blau & Lawrence Kahn, 1995. "The Gender Earnings Gap: Some International Evidence," NBER Chapters, in: Differences and Changes in Wage Structures, pages 105-144, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. repec:fth:prinin:350 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Parent, D., 1995. "Industry-Specific Capiatl and the Wage Profile: Evidence from the NLSY and the PSID," Cahiers de recherche 9508, Universite de Montreal, Departement de sciences economiques.
    4. Rose, Nancy L, 1987. "Labor Rent Sharing and Regulation: Evidence from the Trucking Industry," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 95(6), pages 1146-1178, December.
    5. David Card, 1986. "The Impact of Deregulation on the Employment and Wages of Airline Mechanics," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 39(4), pages 527-538, July.
    6. Daniel Parent, 1995. "Industry-Specific Capital and the Wage Profile: Evidence from the NLSY and the PSID," Working Papers 729, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section..
    7. Freeman, Richard B. & Katz, Lawrence F. (ed.), 1995. "Differences and Changes in Wage Structures," National Bureau of Economic Research Books, University of Chicago Press, edition 1, number 9780226261607, November.
    8. Neal, Derek, 1995. "Industry-Specific Human Capital: Evidence from Displaced Workers," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 13(4), pages 653-677, October.
    9. Moore, Thomas Gale, 1978. "The Beneficiaries of Trucking Regulation," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 21(2), pages 327-343, October.
    10. Helwege, Jean, 1992. "Sectoral Shifts and Interindustry Wage Differentials," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 10(1), pages 55-84, January.
    11. Levy, Frank & Murnane, Richard J, 1992. "U.S. Earnings Levels and Earnings Inequality: A Review of Recent Trends and Proposed Explanations," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 30(3), pages 1333-1381, September.
    12. Nancy L. Rose, 1985. "The Incidence of Regulatory Rents in the Motor Carrier Industry," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 16(3), pages 299-318, Autumn.
    13. Richard B. Freeman & Lawrence F. Katz, 1995. "Differences and Changes in Wage Structures," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number free95-1, July.
    14. Arthur S. De Vany, 1975. "The Effect of Price and Entry Regulation on Airline Output, Capacity and Efficiency," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 6(1), pages 327-345, Spring.
    15. Wallace Hendricks, 1975. "The Effect of Regulation on Collective Bargaining in Electric Utilities," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 6(2), pages 451-465, Autumn.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Dag Morten Dalen & Nils-Henrik M von der Fehr & Espen R Moen, 2003. "Regulation with wage bargaining," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 113(487), pages 525-538, April.
    2. Maria Guadalupe, 2007. "Product Market Competition, Returns to Skill, and Wage Inequality," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 25(3), pages 439-474.
    3. Bhillon, Amrita & Petrakis, Emmanuel, 1995. "On Centralized Bargaining In A Symmetric Oligopolistic Industry," Economic Research Papers 268693, University of Warwick - Department of Economics.
    4. Robert J. Gordon, 1992. "Productivity in the Transportation Sector," NBER Chapters, in: Output Measurement in the Service Sectors, pages 371-427, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Doan, Tinh & Tran, Tuyen Quang & Nguyen, Hien, 2018. "Provincial Competitiveness And Labour Market Returns In Vietnam," Hitotsubashi Journal of Economics, Hitotsubashi University, vol. 59(2), pages 95-112, December.
    6. Hirsch, Barry, 2006. "Wage Determination in the U.S. Airline Industry: Union Power under Product Market Constraints," IZA Discussion Papers 2384, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Erica L. Groshen & David K. Levine, 1998. "The rise and decline(?) of U.S. internal labor markets," Research Paper 9819, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
    8. Janice Bellace, 2014. "American Unions And The Economy — The Unheard Voice Of A Shrinking Sector," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 59(04), pages 1-20.
    9. Abigail K. Wozniak, 2007. "Product Markets and Paychecks: Deregulation's Effect on the Compensation Structure in Banking," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 60(2), pages 246-267, January.
    10. Sonja Jovicic & Ronald Schettkat, 2013. "Does Inequality Promote Employment? An International Comparison," Schumpeter Discussion Papers SDP13009, Universitätsbibliothek Wuppertal, University Library.
    11. Fernandes, Ana P. & Ferreira, Priscila & Alan Winters, L., 2014. "Firm entry deregulation, competition and returns to education and skill," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 210-230.
    12. Bouis, Romain & Duval, Romain & Eugster, Johannes, 2020. "How fast does product market reform pay off? New evidence from non-manufacturing industry deregulation in advanced economies," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 198-217.
    13. Dalen, D.M. & von der Fehr, N.-H.M. & Moen, E.R., 1998. "Regulation and Wage Bargaining," Memorandum 13/1998, Oslo University, Department of Economics.
    14. Hübler, Olaf & Meyer, Wolfgang, 2000. "Industrial Relations and the Wage Differentials between Skilled and Unskilled Blue-Collar Workers within Establishments: An Empirical Analysis with Data of Manufacturing Firms," IZA Discussion Papers 176, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    15. Dube Arindrajit & Reddy Sanjay G., 2014. "Threat Effects and Trade: Wage Discipline through Product Market Competition," Journal of Globalization and Development, De Gruyter, vol. 4(2), pages 213-252, March.
    16. Peter Gottschalk & Robert Moffitt, 1994. "The Growth of Earnings Instability in the U.S. Labor Market," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 25(2), pages 217-272.
    17. Pierre-Yves Crémieux, 1996. "Le marché du travail et l'évolution des salaires dans le transport aérien aux États-Unis : l'effet de la déréglementation de 1978," Économie et Prévision, Programme National Persée, vol. 126(5), pages 45-61.
    18. Camille Logeay & Sabine Stephan & Rudolf Zwiener, 2011. "Driving forces behind the sectoral wage costs differentials in Europe," IMK Working Paper 10-2011, IMK at the Hans Boeckler Foundation, Macroeconomic Policy Institute.
    19. Alexey Levkov, 2010. "Branching of banks and union decline," Supervisory Research and Analysis Working Papers QAU10-7, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    20. Nicole M. Fortin & Thomas Lemieux, 1997. "Institutional Changes and Rising Wage Inequality: Is There a Linkage?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 11(2), pages 75-96, Spring.
    21. Jennifer K. Shanefelter, 2008. "Restructuring, Ownership and Efficiency: The Case of Labor in Electricity Generation," EAG Discussions Papers 200812, Department of Justice, Antitrust Division.
    22. Tinh Doan & Tran Quang Tuyen & Hien Nguyen, 2018. "Local Competitiveness and Labour Market Returns in a Transition Economy: Evidence from Vietnam," Working Papers in Economics 18/06, University of Waikato.
    23. Disney, Richard F & Gosling, Amanda, 2003. "A New Method for Estimating Public Sector Pay Premia: Evidence from Britain in the 1990's," CEPR Discussion Papers 3787, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    24. Schettkat, Ronald, 2003. "Koordination von Lohnverhandlungen (Coordination of wage bargaining)," Mitteilungen aus der Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 36(4), pages 634-648.
    25. Schettkat, Ronald, 2003. "Koordination von Lohnverhandlungen (Coordination of wage bargaining)," Mitteilungen aus der Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 36(4), pages 634-648.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jeff Borland, 2000. "Economic Explanations of Earnings Distribution Trends in the International Literature and Application to New Zealand," Treasury Working Paper Series 00/16, New Zealand Treasury.
    2. Battisti, Michele & Gatto, Massimo Del & Parmeter, Christopher F., 2022. "Skill-biased technical change and labor market inefficiency," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    3. David Kucera, 1998. "Unemployment and External and Internal Labor Market Flexibility: A Comparative View of Europe, Japan, and the United States," SCEPA working paper series. 1998-21, Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA), The New School.
    4. Burks, Stephen V. & Guy, Frederick, 2012. "What Are Over-the-Road Truckers Paid For? Evidence from an Exogenous Regulatory Change on the Role of Social Comparisons and Work Organization in Wage Determination," IZA Discussion Papers 6375, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Burkhauser, Richard V & Holtz-Eakin, Douglas & Rhody, Stephen E, 1997. "Labor Earnings Mobility and Inequality in the United States and Germany during the Growth Years of the 1980s," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 38(4), pages 775-794, November.
    6. Heinze, Anja & Wolf, Elke, 2006. "Gender Earnings Gap in German Firms: The Impact of Firm Characteristics and Institutions," ZEW Discussion Papers 06-020, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    7. Alan Barrett & Tim Callan & Brian Nolan, 1997. "The Earnings Distribution and Returns to Education in Ireland, 1987-1994," Papers WP085, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    8. Francine D. Blau & Lawrence M. Kahn, 2003. "Understanding International Differences in the Gender Pay Gap," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 21(1), pages 106-144, January.
    9. Peter Gottschalk, 1997. "Inequality, Income Growth, and Mobility: The Basic Facts," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 11(2), pages 21-40, Spring.
    10. Martin Floden & Jesper Lindé, 2001. "Idiosyncratic Risk in the United States and Sweden: Is There a Role for Government Insurance?," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 4(2), pages 406-437, July.
    11. Kuhn, Peter & Sweetman, Arthur, 1999. "Vulnerable Seniors: Unions, Tenure, and Wages Following Permanent Job Loss," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 17(4), pages 671-693, October.
    12. Amy Y. C. Liu, 2006. "Changing wage structure and education in Vietnam, 1992–98," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 14(4), pages 681-706, October.
    13. Moshe Buchinsky & Jennifer Hunt, 1999. "Wage Mobility In The United States," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 81(3), pages 351-368, August.
    14. Davis, Steven J. & Henrekson, Magnus, 2005. "Wage-setting institutions as industrial policy," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 345-377, June.
    15. Quintero Rojas, Coralia Azucena & Viianto, Lari Artur, 2019. "Social norms and gender discrimination in the labor market: An agent-based exercise," MPRA Paper 96752, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Dennis J. Snower, 1998. "Causes of changing earnings inequality," Proceedings - Economic Policy Symposium - Jackson Hole, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, pages 69-133.
    17. Luigi Zingales, "undated". "Survival of the Fittest or the Fattest? Exit and Financing in the Trucking Industry," CRSP working papers 336, Center for Research in Security Prices, Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago.
    18. Mertens, Antje, 1999. "Job stability trends and labor market (re-)entry in West Germany 1984 - 1997," SFB 373 Discussion Papers 1999,60, Humboldt University of Berlin, Interdisciplinary Research Project 373: Quantification and Simulation of Economic Processes.
    19. Mikael Lindahl & Alan B. Krueger, 2001. "Education for Growth: Why and for Whom?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 39(4), pages 1101-1136, December.
    20. Henry S. Farber, 2007. "Job Loss and the Decline in Job Security in the United States," Working Papers 1041, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section..

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J4 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:5687. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/nberrus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.