Job Mobility And Wage Growth At The Beginning Of The Professional Career In Spain

The beginning of professional careers is often characterised by intensive job mobility, which may influence wage progression. In this study, we aim to measure the immediate impact of different types of job moves on subsequent hourly wages. We use the Spanish section of the European Community Household Panel and work on a sample of young adults. Propensity Score Matching and difference-in-differences are combined to disentangle the impact of long-term and short-term, direct and via unemployment, voluntary and involuntary and one-time and multiple job mobility on subsequent wages during the period 1995-2001. We observe a positive impact of both direct and voluntary moves and a non-scarring effect of involuntary moves, both via unemployment and multiple job moves, but long-term interruptions do have a negative impact on wages.