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Are We Richer Than Our Parents Were? Absolute Income Mobility in Australia

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  • Kennedy, Tomas

    (University of Technology, Sydney)

  • Siminski, Peter

    (University of Technology, Sydney)

Abstract

We conduct the first dedicated study of absolute income mobility in Australia, for 1950-2019. About two-thirds of 30-34 year-olds have higher real incomes than their parents did at the same age, and this has been stable for 25 years. This is among the highest levels of absolute mobility in the world. Nevertheless, mobility was considerably higher for baby-boomers (over 80% had higher incomes than their parents). About two-thirds of this decline in mobility is due to lower income growth. The remainder is due to rising inequality. The mobility estimate is higher (78%) when income is adjusted (equivalised) for family size.

Suggested Citation

  • Kennedy, Tomas & Siminski, Peter, 2021. "Are We Richer Than Our Parents Were? Absolute Income Mobility in Australia," IZA Discussion Papers 14417, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp14417
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    Cited by:

    1. Peter Siminski & Sin Hung (Timothy) Yu, 2022. "The Correlation of Wealth Between Parents and Children in Australia," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 55(2), pages 195-214, June.
    2. Claver Sanz, Raúl, 2022. "La transmisión intergeneracional de educación: evidencia en América Latina (1870 – 2010) [The Intergenerational Transmission of Education: Evidence from Latin America (1870 - 2010)]," MPRA Paper 111434, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Robert Manduca & Maximilian Hell & Adrian Adermon & Jo Blanden & Espen Bratberg & Anne C. Gielen & Hans van Kippersluis & Keunbok Lee & Stephen Machin & Martin D. Munk & Martin Nybom & Yuri Ostrovsky , 2024. "Measuring Absolute Income Mobility: Lessons from North America and Europe," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 16(2), pages 1-30, April.
    4. Rozinskaya, N. & Drobyshevskaya, T., 2022. "Quantitative estimates of intergenerational mobility," Journal of the New Economic Association, New Economic Association, vol. 57(5), pages 93-111.
    5. Liss, Erik & Korpi, Martin & Wennberg, Karl, 2023. "Absolute income mobility and the effect of parent generation inequality: An extended decomposition approach," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    6. Claver Sanz, Raúl, 2022. "Movilidad entre generaciones en países africanos: evidencia para la educación [Intergenerational mobility in African countries: evidence for education]," MPRA Paper 111678, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Claver Sanz, Raúl, 2022. "¿Cómo evoluciona el nivel educativo entre generaciones en Asia (Pacífico y Oriente Medio)? [How is educational attainment evolving between generations in Asia (Pacific and Middle East)?]," MPRA Paper 111792, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    absolute mobility; intergenerational mobility; Australia;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • H00 - Public Economics - - General - - - General
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion

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