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The Lost Decade in the Japanese Labor Market : Labor's share and Okun's Law

Author

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  • Shigeru Wakita

    (Professor, Faculty of Urban Liberal Arts, Tokyo Metropolitan University)

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to reexamine two empirical regularities in the Japanese labor market: the constant labor share and Okun's law. The former law relates to the price of labor in the labor market while the latter is a quantity law; they represent suitable benchmarks for judging the condition of the labor market. Although there are more elaborate statistical techniques, these laws are frequently used because they can clarify the macroeconomic situation at a glance. First, a constant labor share is implied in theory by the Cobb-Douglas production function. Thus, labor's share should be based on the production function. Labor's share based on income has only been rising because of massive depreciation. Secondly, there have been several structural breaks in Okun's law since the bubble collapsed, and the potential growth rate has fallen.

Suggested Citation

  • Shigeru Wakita, 2006. "The Lost Decade in the Japanese Labor Market : Labor's share and Okun's Law," Public Policy Review, Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Finance Japan, vol. 2(1), pages 77-96, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:mof:journl:ppr002c
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Iiboshi, Hirokuni & Wakita, Shigeru, 2004. "Do Structural Breaks exist in Okun’s Law? Evidence from the Lost Decade in Japan," MPRA Paper 87392, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    Cited by:

    1. Kyoji Fukao & Cristiano Perugini, 2021. "The Long‐Run Dynamics of the Labor Share in Japan," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 67(2), pages 445-480, June.
    2. Kyoji Fukao & Koji Ito & Cristiano Perugini, 2019. "A Microeconomic Analysis of the Declining Labor Share in Japan," ADB Institute Series on Development Economics, in: Gary Fields & Saumik Paul (ed.), Labor Income Share in Asia, chapter 0, pages 247-267, Springer.
    3. Agnese, Pablo, 2009. "Japan and her dealings with offshoring: An empirical analysis with aggregate data," IESE Research Papers D/793, IESE Business School.
    4. Pablo Agnese, 2013. "Offshoring and productivity revisited: A Time-Series Analysis [Zur Debatte um Offshoring und Produktivität: Eine Zeitreihenanalyse]," Duesseldorf Working Papers in Applied Management and Economics 23, Duesseldorf University of Applied Sciences.
    5. Agnese, Pablo, 2009. "Employment effects of offshoring. An application to Japanese industries, 1980-2005," MPRA Paper 16506, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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