In this paper we analyze the structure of adjustment costs for labor. In particular, the question whether hiring and firing costs are asymmetric is addressed. We maintain the standard assumption of quadratic adjustment costs, but allow the multiplicative coefficient to differ for the firing and hiring regime. The Euler equations for this problem can be combined into a general model that nests the one with symmetric adjustment costs. The model can be conveniently estimated and the parameter restrictions implied by symmetry easily tested. We also extend the model to allow for variable adjustment coefficients. In the empirical application we use a panel data collected by Ceris on 52 large Italian firms for the period 1958-1988. The general conclusion from the econometric testing is that the hypothesis of symmetric adjustment costs is rejected by the data. Copyright 1993 by MIT Press.
Download Info
To download:
If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the
proper application to
view it first. Information about this may be contained
in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read
the IDEAS help
file. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS
site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version under "Related research" (further below) or search for a different version of it.
Cited by: (explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)