IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/atlecj/v51y2023i4d10.1007_s11293-023-09783-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Labor Market Flexibility and General and Firm-specific Skills

Author

Listed:
  • Naoki Shintoyo

    (Ryukoku University)

Abstract

The current economy is subject to great uncertainty. Smooth labor reallocations are important. This calls for labor market policies that increase flexibility. Conventional wisdom suggests that such policies will increase general skills and reduce firm-specific skills. This study demonstrates that this conjecture is not a theoretical necessity. Indeed, increased labor market flexibility can depress both general and firm-specific skills. If flexibility increases in the experienced worker market, general and firm-specific skills increase or decrease simultaneously. The reason for this surprising outcome emerges from the model.

Suggested Citation

  • Naoki Shintoyo, 2023. "Labor Market Flexibility and General and Firm-specific Skills," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 51(4), pages 275-286, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:atlecj:v:51:y:2023:i:4:d:10.1007_s11293-023-09783-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s11293-023-09783-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11293-023-09783-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11293-023-09783-8?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fujita, Shigeru, 2018. "Declining labor turnover and turbulence," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 1-19.
    2. Etienne Wasmer, 2006. "General versus Specific Skills in Labor Markets with Search Frictions and Firing Costs," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(3), pages 811-831, June.
    3. Daron Acemoglu & Jorn-Steffen Pischke, 1999. "The Structure of Wages and Investment in General Training," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 107(3), pages 539-572, June.
    4. Lars Ljungqvist & Thomas J. Sargent, 1998. "The European Unemployment Dilemma," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 106(3), pages 514-550, June.
    5. C. Simon Fan & Xiangdong Wei, 2010. "Training and worker effort: a signalling perspective," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 43(2), pages 604-621, May.
    6. repec:bla:germec:v:10:y:2009:i::p:284-316 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Anke S. Kessler & Christoph Lülfesmann, 2006. "The Theory of Human Capital Revisited: on the Interaction of General and Specific Investments," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 116(514), pages 903-923, October.
    8. Garey Ramey & Joel Watson, 1997. "Contractual Fragility, Job Destruction, and Business Cycles," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 112(3), pages 873-911.
    9. Derek Laing & Theodore Palivos & Ping Wang, 1995. "Learning, Matching and Growth," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 62(1), pages 115-129.
    10. René Fahr & Uwe Sunde, 2009. "Did the Hartz Reforms Speed‐Up the Matching Process? A Macro‐Evaluation Using Empirical Matching Functions," German Economic Review, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 10(3), pages 284-316, August.
    11. C. Simon Fan & Xiangdong Wei, 2010. "Training and worker effort: a signalling perspective," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(2), pages 604-621, May.
    12. Maki, Taichi & Yotsuya, Koichi & Yagi, Tadashi, 2005. "Economic growth and the riskiness of investment in firm-specific skills," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(4), pages 1033-1049, May.
    13. Naoki Shintoyo, 2010. "Worker‐financed versus Firm‐sponsored Training: How are Skilled Workers Supplied to the Economy?," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 77(305), pages 110-127, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rasmus Lentz & Nicolas Roys, 2024. "Training and Search On the Job," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 53, pages 123-146, July.
    2. Decreuse, Bruno & Granier, Pierre, 2013. "Unemployment benefits, job protection, and the nature of educational investment," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 20-29.
    3. Margaret Stevens, 2012. "Human Capital and Competition: Strategic Complementarities in Firm-based Training," Economics Series Working Papers 629, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    4. Tat‐kei Lai & Travis Ng, 2014. "The impact of product market competition on training provision: Evidence from Canada," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 47(3), pages 856-888, August.
    5. Rasmus Lentz & Nicolas Roys, 2024. "Training and Search On the Job," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 53, pages 123-146, July.
    6. Ross Doppelt, 2019. "Skill Flows: A Theory of Human Capital and Unemployment," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 31, pages 84-122, January.
    7. Lamo, Ana & Messina, Julián & Wasmer, Etienne, 2011. "Are specific skills an obstacle to labor market adjustment?," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 240-256, April.
    8. Bhaskar, V & Holden, Steinar, 2002. "Wage Differentiation via Subsidised General Training," Economics Discussion Papers 8851, University of Essex, Department of Economics.
    9. Bert Minne & Marc van der Steeg & Dinand Webbink, 2008. "Skill gaps in the EU: role for education and training policies," CPB Document 162, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    10. Naoki Shintoyo, 2008. "Creation of jobs and firm-sponsored training in a matching model of unemployment," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 93(2), pages 145-176, March.
    11. Philip Jung & Moritz Kuhn, 2019. "Earnings Losses and Labor Mobility Over the Life Cycle," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 17(3), pages 678-724.
    12. Arnaud Chéron & Anthony Terriau, 2023. "On-The-Job Search, Life-cycle Training, and the Role of Transfer Fees," TEPP Working Paper 2023-06, TEPP.
    13. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/9064 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Chéron, Arnaud & Terriau, Anthony, 2018. "Life cycle training and equilibrium unemployment," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 32-44.
    15. Bratti, Massimiliano & Conti, Maurizio & Sulis, Giovanni, 2018. "Employment Protection, Temporary Contracts and Firm-Provided Training: Evidence from Italy," IZA Discussion Papers 11339, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. Decreuse, Bruno & Granier, Pierre, 2007. "Matching frictions and the divide of schooling investment between general and specific skills," MPRA Paper 6948, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Naval, Joaquín & Silva, José I. & Vázquez-Grenno, Javier, 2020. "Employment effects of on-the-job human capital acquisition," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    18. C. Simon Fan & Xiangdong Wei, 2010. "Training and worker effort: a signalling perspective," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(2), pages 604-621, May.
    19. Naoki Shintoyo, 2010. "Worker‐financed versus Firm‐sponsored Training: How are Skilled Workers Supplied to the Economy?," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 77(305), pages 110-127, January.
    20. Fujita, Shigeru & Fujiwara, Ippei, 2023. "Aging and the real interest rate in Japan: A labor market channel," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    21. Gorry, Aspen, 2013. "Minimum wages and youth unemployment," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 57-75.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:atlecj:v:51:y:2023:i:4:d:10.1007_s11293-023-09783-8. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.