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Wage Risk, Employment Risk and the Rise in Wage Inequality

Author

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  • Mecikovsky, Ariel

    (University of Bonn)

  • Wellschmied, Felix

    (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid)

Abstract

We estimate the changes in US male labor market risk over the last three decades in a model of endogenous labor supply and job mobility. Across education groups permanent shocks to productivity have become more dispersed. Moreover, heterogeneity in pay across offered jobs has increased for workers with at least some college education. Simulating these changes in a life-cycle model with search frictions, we show that the estimated changes in risk can account for 85 percent of the increase in within group wage inequality. The welfare costs of rising risk are small.

Suggested Citation

  • Mecikovsky, Ariel & Wellschmied, Felix, 2016. "Wage Risk, Employment Risk and the Rise in Wage Inequality," IZA Discussion Papers 10451, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp10451
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    Cited by:

    1. Intan Nurpratiwi & Syamsurijal Abdul Kadir & Yunisvita Yunisvita, 2019. "Factors that Influence Wages Differences in Formal Sector on Male and Female Workers in Palembang City," Business & Management Compass, University of Economics Varna, issue 4, pages 327-343.
    2. Intan NURPRATIWI & Syamsurijal AK & YUNISVITA, 2020. "Factors that influence wages differences in formal sector on male and female workers in Palembang City," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania / Editura Economica, vol. 0(1(622), S), pages 147-158, Spring.
    3. Helmut Herwartz & David Rodriguez-Justicia & Bernd Theilen, 2022. "A New Measure of Wage Risk: Occupation-Specific Evidence for Germany," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 164(3), pages 1427-1462, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    wage risk; secular trends; insurance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • J11 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search

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