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Labour cost and employment across euro area countries and sectors

Author

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  • Pierluigi, Beatrice
  • Roma, Moreno

Abstract

This paper studies the role of wage moderation and labour and product market regulation for employment creation. To this end, labour demand estimates are presented for the five largest euro area countries at the aggregate level and for three macro sectors: manufacturing, construction and services. Estimates are carried out for individual countries as well as for the pooled group of countries. This paper shows that labour cost moderation generally helps employment creation, notwithstanding the fact that elasticities of employment to labour costs vary across the countries and sectors analysed. It also shows that some key institutional/structural variables add to the explanation of labour demand developments. In particular, in some countries and sectors, our results point to a negative link between employment growth, the unemployment benefit replacement rate and product market regulation. JEL Classification: E24, J23, J30, C22, C23

Suggested Citation

  • Pierluigi, Beatrice & Roma, Moreno, 2008. "Labour cost and employment across euro area countries and sectors," Working Paper Series 912, European Central Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:2008912
    Note: 591179
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Blanchard, Olivier & Wolfers, Justin, 2000. "The Role of Shocks and Institutions in the Rise of European Unemployment: The Aggregate Evidence," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 110(462), pages 1-33, March.
    2. Olivier Blanchard & Francesco Giavazzi, 2003. "Macroeconomic Effects of Regulation and Deregulation in Goods and Labor Markets," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 118(3), pages 879-907.
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    5. Franz Hahn, 2004. "Long-run homogeneity of labour demand. Panel evidence from OECD countries," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(11), pages 1199-1203.
    6. Stephen Nickell, 1997. "Unemployment and Labor Market Rigidities: Europe versus North America," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 11(3), pages 55-74, Summer.
    7. Daniel S. Hamermesh & Gerard A. Pfann, 1996. "Adjustment Costs in Factor Demand," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 34(3), pages 1264-1292, September.
    8. Fagan, Gabriel & Henry, Jérôme & Mestre, Ricardo, 2001. "An area-wide model (AWM) for the euro area," Working Paper Series 42, European Central Bank.
    9. Andrea Bassanini & Romain Duval, 2006. "Employment Patterns in OECD Countries: Reassessing the Role of Policies and Institutions," OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers 35, OECD Publishing.
    10. Mr. Anthony M Annett, 2007. "Lessons from Successful Labor Market Reformers in Europe," IMF Policy Discussion Papers 2007/001, International Monetary Fund.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Beatrice Pierluigi & Jan Bruha & Roberta Serafini, 2014. "Euro area labour markets: Different reaction to shocks?," Journal of Banking and Financial Economics, University of Warsaw, Faculty of Management, vol. 2(2), pages 34-60, November.
    2. Afşin Şahin & Aysit Tansel & M. Hakan Berument, 2015. "Output–Employment Relationship Across Sectors: A Long- Versus Short-Run Perspective," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 67(3), pages 265-288, July.
    3. Raimund Krumm & Harald Strotmann, 2013. "The impact of regional location factors on job creation, job destruction and employment growth in manufacturing," Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, Springer;Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung (GfR), vol. 33(1), pages 23-48, February.
    4. Antonis Adam & Thomas Moutos, 2014. "Industry-level labour demand elasticities across the Eurozone: will there be any gain after the pain of internal devaluation?," Working Papers 185, Bank of Greece.
    5. Afşin Şahin & Aysit Tansel & M. Hakan Berument, 2015. "Output–Employment Relationship Across Sectors: A Long- Versus Short-Run Perspective," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 67(3), pages 265-288, July.
    6. Horst Feldmann, 2012. "Product Market Regulation and Labor Market Performance around the World," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 26(3), pages 369-391, September.
    7. Raimund Krumm & Harald Strotmann, 2010. "The Impact of Regional Supply and Demand Conditions on Job Creation and Destruction," IAW Discussion Papers 61, Institut für Angewandte Wirtschaftsforschung (IAW).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    labour cost; Labour Demand; panel estimates;
    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
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • J30 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - General
    • C22 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes
    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models

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