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Is training more frequent when the wage premium is smaller? Evidence from the European Community Household Panel

Author

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  • Andrea Bassanini

    (ERMES - Equipe de recherche sur les marches, l'emploi et la simulation - UP2 - Université Panthéon-Assas - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, CEPN - Centre d'Economie de l'Université Paris Nord (ancienne affiliation) - UP13 - Université Paris 13 - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Giorgio Brunello

    (dipartimento di scienze economiche - Unipd - Università degli Studi di Padova = University of Padua)

Abstract

According to Becker [1964], when labour markets are perfectly competitive, general training is paid by the worker, who reaps all the benefits from the investment. Therefore, ceteris paribus, the greater the training wage premium, the greater the investment in general training. Using data from the European Community Household Panel, we compute a proxy of the training wage premium in clusters of homogeneous workers and find that smaller premia induce greater incidence of off-site training, which is likely to impart general skills. Our findings suggest that the Becker model provides insufficient guidance to understand empirical training patterns. Conversely, they are not inconsistent with theories of training in imperfectly competitive labour markets, in which firms may be willing to finance general training if the wage structure is compressed, that is, if the increase in productivity after training is greater than the increase in pay.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Bassanini & Giorgio Brunello, 2008. "Is training more frequent when the wage premium is smaller? Evidence from the European Community Household Panel," Post-Print halshs-00214192, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-00214192
    DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2007.01.002
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00214192
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    Cited by:

    1. Dietz Daniel & Zwick Thomas, 2020. "Training in the Great Recession – Evidence from an Individual Perspective," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 240(4), pages 493-523, August.
    2. Picchio, Matteo & van Ours, Jan C., 2011. "Market imperfections and firm-sponsored training," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(5), pages 712-722, October.
    3. Michele Raitano & Francesco Vona, 2017. "Competition, firm size and returns to skills: Evidence from currency shocks and market liberalisations," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(12), pages 2676-2703, December.
    4. Picchio, Matteo & van Ours, Jan C., 2013. "Retaining through training even for older workers," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 29-48.
    5. Carla Haelermans & Lex Borghans, 2012. "Wage Effects of On-the-Job Training: A Meta-Analysis," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 50(3), pages 502-528, September.
    6. Peter Huber & Ulrike Huemer, 2009. "What Causes Gender Differences in the Participation and Intensity of Lifelong Learning?," WIFO Working Papers 353, WIFO.
    7. Peter Huber & Ulrike Huemer, 2015. "Gender Differences in Lifelong Learning: An Empirical Analysis of the Impact of Marriage and Children," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 29(1), pages 32-51, March.
    8. Luz Adriana Florez & Lina Cardona-Sosa & Leonardo Fabio Morales & Julian Londoño, 2018. "The Returns from Training in Colombia: Evidence from a Longitudinal Survey," Borradores de Economia 1048, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    9. Bertoni Marco & Brunello Giorgio, 2022. "Training during recessions: recent European evidence," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Sciendo & Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 12(1), pages 1-17, January.
    10. Rosario Scandurra & Marco Alberio, 2021. "A Classification of Factors Affecting Adults’ Skills Distribution," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(2), pages 21582440211, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    General training; Off-site training; Training wage premia; Wage compression; ECHP;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J41 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Labor Contracts

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