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Biased expectations and labor market outcomes: Evidence from German survey data and implications for the East-West wage gap

Author

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  • Balleer, Almut
  • Duernecker, Georg
  • Forstner, Susanne
  • Goensch, Johannes

Abstract

We measure individual bias in labor market expectations in German survey data and find that workers on average significantly overestimate their individual probabilities to separate from their job when employed as well to find a job when unemployed. These biases vary significantly between population groups. Most notably, East Germans are significantly more pessimistic than West Germans. We find a significantly negative relationship between the pessimistic bias in job separation expectations and wages, and a significantly positive relationship between optimistic bias in job finding expectations and reservation incomes. We interpret and quantify the effects of (such) expectation biases on the labor market equilibrium in a search and matching model of the labor market. Removing the biases could substantially increase wages and expected lifetime income in East Germany. The difference in biases in labor market expectations explains part of the East-West German wage gap.

Suggested Citation

  • Balleer, Almut & Duernecker, Georg & Forstner, Susanne & Goensch, Johannes, 2024. "Biased expectations and labor market outcomes: Evidence from German survey data and implications for the East-West wage gap," Ruhr Economic Papers 1062, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:rwirep:282989
    DOI: 10.4419/96973232
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    Cited by:

    1. Almut Balleer & Georg Duernecker & Susanne Forstner & Johannes Goensch, 2023. "Wie verzerrte Arbeitsmarkterwartungen die Lohnlücke zwischen Ost­ und Westdeutschland beeinflussen," ifo Dresden berichtet, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 30(03), pages 17-22, June.
    2. Francesca Barigozzi & José J. Domínguez & Natalia Montinari, 2023. "Entering a gender-neutral workplace? College students’ expectations and the impact of information provision," Working Papers wp1188, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labor market risk; biased beliefs; wages; reservation wages;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • 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
    • D84 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Expectations; Speculations

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