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Employment and wage effects of extending collective bargaining agreements

Author

Listed:
  • Ernesto Villanueva

    (Banco de España, Spain)

  • Effrosyni Adamopoulou

    (University of Mannheim, and IZA, Germany)

Abstract

In many countries, the wage floors and working conditions set in collective contracts negotiated by a subset of employers and unions are subsequently extended to all employees in an industry. Those extensions ensure common working conditions within the industry, mitigate wage inequality, and reduce gender wage gaps. However, little is known about the so-called bite of collective contracts and whether they limit wage adjustments for all workers. Evidence suggests that collective contract benefits come at the cost of reduced employment levels, though typically only for workers earning close to the wage floors.

Suggested Citation

  • Ernesto Villanueva & Effrosyni Adamopoulou, 2022. "Employment and wage effects of extending collective bargaining agreements," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 136-136, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izawol:journl:2022:n:136
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Katrin Oesingmann, 2016. "Extension of Collective Agreements in Europe," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 14(2), pages 59-64, 07.
    3. Guido Blasio & Samuele Poy, 2017. "THE IMPACT OF LOCAL WAGE REGULATION ON EMPLOYMENT: A BORDER ANALYSIS FROM ITALY IN THE 1950s," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(1), pages 48-74, January.
    4. E. Gautier & D. Fougère & S. Roux, 2016. "The Impact of the National Minimum Wage on Industry-Level Wage Bargaining in France," Working papers 587, Banque de France.
    5. Effrosyni Adamopoulou & Marta De Philippis & Enrico Sette & Eliana Viviano, 2020. "The Long Run Earnings Effects of a Credit Market Disruption," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2020_169v3, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    6. Álvarez, Fernando & Eslava, Marcela & Sanguinetti, Pablo & Toledo, Manuel & Eslava, Marcela & Alves, Guillermo & Daude, Christian & Allub, Lian, . "RED 2018: Institutions for productivity: towards a better business environment," Report on Economic Development, CAF Development Bank Of Latinamerica, number 1410, May.
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    8. Alice Albonico & Alessia Paccagnini & Patrizio Tirelli, 2019. "Limited Asset Market Participation And The Euro Area Crisis: An Empirical Dsge Model," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 57(3), pages 1302-1323, July.
    9. Fougère, Denis & Gautier, Erwan & Roux, Sébastien, 2018. "Wage floor rigidity in industry-level agreements: Evidence from France," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 72-97.
    10. John T. Addison, 2016. "Collective bargaining systems and macroeconomic and microeconomic flexibility: the quest for appropriate institutional forms in advanced economies," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 5(1), pages 1-53, December.
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    12. Grodzicki, Maciej J. & Możdżeń, Michał, 2021. "Central and Eastern European economies in a Goldilocks age: A model of labor market institutional choice," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
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    14. Ramos, Raul & Sanromá, Esteban & Simón, Hipólito, 2022. "Collective bargaining levels, employment and wage inequality in Spain," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 44(2), pages 375-395.
    15. Ayhan GÖRMÜŞ, 2020. "Toplu Pazarlık Kapsamını Etkileyen Faktörler: Karşılaştırmalı Endüstri İlişkileri Temelinde Türk Endüstri İlişkileri Sisteminin Modernizasyonu," Journal of Social Policy Conferences, Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 0(78), pages 63-109, June.
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    17. Denis Fougère & Erwan Gautier & Sébastien Roux, 2016. "The Impact of the National Minimum Wage on Industry-Level Wage Bargaining in France," Working Papers hal-03469977, HAL.
    18. Fougère, Denis & Gautier, Erwan & Roux, Sébastien, 2016. "Understanding Wage Floor Setting in Industry-Level Agreements: Evidence from France," IZA Discussion Papers 10290, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    19. Thommen, Yann, 2022. "Reforms of collective bargaining institutions in European Union countries: Bad timing, bad outcomes?," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    20. Orsetta Causa & Mikkel Hermansen & Nicolas Ruiz, 2016. "The Distributional Impact of Structural Reforms," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1342, OECD Publishing.
    21. Susan HAYTER & Jelle VISSER, 2021. "Making collective bargaining more inclusive: The role of extension," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 160(2), pages 169-195, June.
    22. Denis Fougère & Erwan Gautier & Sébastien Roux, 2016. "The Impact of the National Minimum Wage on Industry-Level Wage Bargaining in France," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03469977, HAL.
    23. Katrin Oesingmann, 2016. "Extension of Collective Agreements in Europe," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 14(02), pages 59-64, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    bite of collective contracts; wage inequality; employment losses;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity

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