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Equilibrium Employment in a Model of Imperfect Labour Market

Author

Listed:
  • Pietro Garibaldi

    (Collegio Carlo Alberto - UNITO - Università degli studi di Torino = University of Turin)

  • Etienne Wasmer

    (ECON - Département d'économie (Sciences Po) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

This paper presents a simple model of imperfect labor markets with endogenous labor market participation and home production. Labor market imperfections take the form of an irreversible entry cost incurred by workers which drives a wedge between the entry into the labor market and exit from the labor market. Labour force participation is thus described by two margins. This simple framework brings several results. First, it delivers an expression for the employment rate and as side-products, a measure of the unemployment rate and the size of the labour force. Second, it distinguishes between two types of non-employed workers: people without a job but willing to work at the equilibrium wage and people not willing to work. Third, it derives endogenously all flows between three labour market states. Fourth, a calibration of the model rationalizes differences in employment rates across selected countries by differences in the market productivity premium and the size of market frictions. Finally, the model is a very simple reduced form of search models with which it is fully consistent: the irreversible entry cost is the opportunity cost of search and depends on aggregate conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Pietro Garibaldi & Etienne Wasmer, 2003. "Equilibrium Employment in a Model of Imperfect Labour Market," Post-Print hal-01053498, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-01053498
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://sciencespo.hal.science/hal-01053498
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mortensen, Dale & Pissarides, Christopher, 2011. "Job Creation and Job Destruction in the Theory of Unemployment," Ekonomicheskaya Politika / Economic Policy, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, vol. 1, pages 1-19.
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    Cited by:

    1. Samir Amine & Pedro Lages Dos Santos, 2015. "Negative Income Tax and Labor Market Participation: A Short Run Analysis," CIRANO Working Papers 2015s-28, CIRANO.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure

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