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On the response of Italian wages to the unemployment rate

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  • Alfonso Rosolia

    (Banca d'Italia)

Abstract

In this paper I assess the responsiveness of Italian wage rates to labor market conditions and show that the specific wage measure considered has important consequences for the results. The cyclical response of wages measured by National Accounts is dampened by a number of measurement issues; on the contrary, both wage rate changes negotiated at the central level and salary items set at the firm level are found to respond more strongly to unemployment. I conclude that the observed weak response of wage measures based on National Accounts does not reflect the lack of wage flexibility but rather the staggered and uncoordinated nature of wage negotiations.

Suggested Citation

  • Alfonso Rosolia, 2015. "On the response of Italian wages to the unemployment rate," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 287, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    • Handle: RePEc:bdi:opques:qef_287_15
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    File URL: https://www.bancaditalia.it/pubblicazioni/qef/2015-0287/QEF_287.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Andrea Brandolini & Piero Casadio & Piero Cipollone & Marco Magnani & Alfonso Rosolia, 2007. "Employment Growth in Italy in the 1990s: Institutional Arrangements and Market Forces," AIEL Series in Labour Economics, in: Nicola Acocella & Riccardo Leoni (ed.), Social Pacts, Employment and Growth. A Reappraisal of Ezio Tarantelli’s Thought, edition 1, chapter 4, pages 31-68, AIEL - Associazione Italiana Economisti del Lavoro.
    2. Gaiotti, Eugenio, 2008. "Has globalisation changed the Phillips curve? Firm-level evidence on the effect of activity on prices," MPRA Paper 8389, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Olivier Blanchard & Florence Jaumotte & Prakash Loungani, 2014. "Labor market policies and IMF advice in advanced economies during the Great Recession," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 3(1), pages 1-23, December.
    4. Lawrence F. Katz & Olivier Blanchard, 1999. "Wage Dynamics: Reconciling Theory and Evidence," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(2), pages 69-74, May.
    5. Nicola Acocella & Riccardo Leoni (ed.), 2007. "Social Pacts, Employment and Growth," AIEL Series in Labour Economics, Springer, number 978-3-7908-1923-6.
    6. Eugenio Gaiotti, 2010. "Commentary: Has Globalization Changed the Phillips Curve? Firm-Level Evidence on the Effect of Activity on Prices," International Journal of Central Banking, International Journal of Central Banking, vol. 6(1), pages 51-84, March.
    7. Brunello, Giorgio & Lupi, Claudio & Ordine, Patrizia, 2000. "Regional Disparities and the Italian NAIRU," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 52(1), pages 146-177, January.
    8. Marianna Riggi, 2010. "Nominal And Real Wage Rigidities In New Keynesian Models: A Critical Survey," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 539-572, July.
    9. Silvia Fabiani & Alberto Locarno & Gianpaolo Oneto & Paolo Sestito, 1998. "Results and problems of five years of incomes policy: an initial quantitative evaluation," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 329, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Effrosyni Adamopoulou & Ernesto Villanueva, 2020. "Wage Determination and the Bite of Collective Contracts in Italy and Spain: Evidence From the Metalworking Industry," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2020_176, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    2. Bernardo Fanfani & Claudio Lucifora & Daria Vigani, 2024. "Employer associations in Italy: Trends and economic outcomes," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 62(2), pages 206-232, June.
    3. Bertoni, Marco & Brunello, Giorgio, 2017. "Does Delayed Retirement Affect Youth Employment? Evidence from Italian Local Labour Markets," IZA Discussion Papers 10733, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Adamopoulou, Effrosyni & Villanueva, Ernesto, 2022. "Wage determination and the bite of collective contracts in Italy and Spain," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    5. Francesco D'Amuri & Cristina Giorgiantonio, 2014. "Diffusion and outlook of firm-level bargaining in Italy," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 221, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    6. Guido Bulligan & Eliana Viviano, 2017. "Has the wage Phillips curve changed in the euro area?," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 6(1), pages 1-22, December.
    7. Irene Brunetti & Valerio Intraligi & Andrea Ricci & Valeria Cirillo, 2020. "Low‐skill jobs and routine tasks specialization: New insights from Italian provinces," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 99(6), pages 1561-1581, December.
    8. Claudia Peiti & Cesare Vignocchi, 2020. "Regolazione salariale e sistemi retributivi: il caso delle Utility in Italia," ECONOMIA PUBBLICA, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2020(2), pages 105-133.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    unemployment; wages; centralised wage bargaining;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J5 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining

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