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Public sector wage gaps in Spanish regions

Author

Listed:
  • J. Ignacio García-Pérez

    (Department of Economics, Universidad Pablo de Olavide)

  • Juan F. Jimeno

    (Bank of Spain, Research Division)

Abstract

This paper provides an approximation to the measurement of public sector wage gaps in Spanish regions. By using data from the European Community Household Panel, it is shown that the balance between what private firms pay in the local market and what the public sector pays, differs substantially in different areas of the country. Public sector wage differences among Spanish regions are mostly due to differences in returns, not to differences in characteristics or to selection effects, and are not constant across gender, educational levels, or occupations. Moreover, in those regions where Regional Governments have a higher weight in public employment, public wage gaps are higher and public employers pay higher returns. There also seems to be a cross-regional positive correlation between public wage gaps and unemployment, and a negative one between labour productivity and public wage gaps. Hence, a tentative conclusion is that the incentives to select into the public sector are higher in the low productivity regions, precisely those where scarcity of human capital in the private sector may be the most important factor for explaining economic backwardness.

Suggested Citation

  • J. Ignacio García-Pérez & Juan F. Jimeno, 2006. "Public sector wage gaps in Spanish regions," Working Papers 06.10, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:pab:wpaper:06.10
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    public sector; wage differentials; switching regressions; Spanish regions.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • H73 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Interjurisdictional Differentials and Their Effects
    • H83 - Public Economics - - Miscellaneous Issues - - - Public Administration

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