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Union Wage Effects in Australia: Evidence from Panel Data

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  • Lixin Cai
  • C. Jeffrey Waddoups

Abstract

Using data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, our research indicates that unobserved heterogeneity substantially biases cross-sectional estimates of union wage effects upward for both males and females. Estimates of the union wage premium for male workers between the ages of 25 and 64 fall from 8.7 percent to 5.2 percent after controlling for unobserved heterogeneity. For females aged 25 to 63 the estimated 4.0 percent cross-sectional union wage premium falls to 1.9 once unobserved heterogeneity is controlled for. Our results also indicate positive sorting by unobserved skills into union membership, especially among low skilled male and female workers. There is also evidence of negative sorting into unions among the most highly skilled.

Suggested Citation

  • Lixin Cai & C. Jeffrey Waddoups, 2008. "Union Wage Effects in Australia: Evidence from Panel Data," CEPR Discussion Papers 585, Centre for Economic Policy Research, Research School of Economics, Australian National University.
    • Handle: RePEc:auu:dpaper:585
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    File URL: https://www.cbe.anu.edu.au/researchpapers/CEPR/DP585.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Steve Bradley & Colin Green & John Mangan, 2015. "Gender Wage Gaps within a Public Sector: Evidence from Personnel Data," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 83(4), pages 379-397, July.
    4. Brändle, Tobias, 2024. "Unions and Collective Bargaining: The Influence on Wages, Employment and Firm Survival," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1457, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    5. Lixin Cai, 2015. "The dynamics of low pay employment in Australia," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 36(7), pages 1095-1123, October.
    6. Michael Dobbie & Daehoon Nahm, 2018. "The Determinants of Individual Union Membership in Australia: A Structural Approach Using Panel Data," Economic Papers, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 37(1), pages 75-91, March.
    7. C. Jeffrey Waddoups, 2014. "Union Membership and Job-Related Training: Incidence, Transferability, and Efficacy," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 52(4), pages 753-778, December.
    8. Alison L. Booth & Pamela Katic, 2011. "Men at Work in a Land Down‐Under: Testing Some Predictions of Human Capital Theory," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 49(1), pages 1-24, March.
    9. Kamal, Mustafa & Blacklow, Paul, 2021. "Australian age, period, cohort effects in the gender wage gap - 2001 to 2018," Working Papers 2021-02, University of Tasmania, Tasmanian School of Business and Economics.
    10. James Bishop & Iris Chan, 2019. "Is Declining Union Membership Contributing to Low Wages Growth?," RBA Research Discussion Papers rdp2019-02, Reserve Bank of Australia.
    11. Stéphane Mahuteau & Rong Zhu, 2016. "Crime Victimisation and Subjective Well‐Being: Panel Evidence From Australia," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(11), pages 1448-1463, November.
    12. Héctor Gutiérrez Rufrancos, 2019. "Are There Gains to Joining a Union? Evidence from Mexico," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 57(3), pages 676-712, September.
    13. Zhu Rong & Chen Linfeng, 2016. "Overeducation, Overskilling and Mental Well-being," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 16(4), pages 1-33, October.
    14. John Budd & Wei Chi & Yijiang Wang & Qianyun Xie, 2014. "What Do Unions in China Do? Provincial-Level Evidence on Wages, Employment, Productivity, and Economic Output," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 35(2), pages 185-204, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    union wage effects; fixed effects models; panel data;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects

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