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Decomposing the Productivity-Wage Nexus in

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  • James Uguccioni and Andrew Sharpe

Abstract

Standard economic theory predicts that in the long run, productivity growth ought to drive aggregate real wage growth. We consider this prediction in the case of 11 OECD countries, and find that the majority have experienced much slower median real wage growth than labour productivity growth over the 1986-2013 period. We decompose the gap between labour productivity growth and median real wage growth into four components: inequality, data source differences, differences between the prices of output and consumption, and changes to labour’s share of income. The decompositions ultimately show that there is no common cause for the productivity-wage gap, though most countries did see inequality grow and labour’s share of income fall to some degree over our period of study.

Suggested Citation

  • James Uguccioni and Andrew Sharpe, 2016. "Decomposing the Productivity-Wage Nexus in," CSLS Research Reports 2016-16, Centre for the Study of Living Standards.
    • Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1616
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • O51 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - U.S.; Canada
    • O57 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Comparative Studies of Countries

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