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Updated Notes on the Interindustry Wage Structure

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  • Steven G. Allen

Abstract

This paper documents and analyzes changes in the wage structure across manufacturing industries over the last one hundred years. Inter-industry differentials in wages are highly stable for production workers, but autocorrelation patterns for nonproduction workers are considerably weaker. Industry wage patterns are very similar for production and nonproduction workers today, but this has been true only since 1958. Dispersion of wages across industries has shown varying trends over the last one hundred years, but has never in this century been higher than it is today. The variables that are most strongly correlated with wage growth are productivity growth, rising union density, rising capital intensity, and profit growth.

Suggested Citation

  • Steven G. Allen, 1994. "Updated Notes on the Interindustry Wage Structure," NBER Working Papers 4664, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:4664
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Kwan, Yum K. & Leung, Charles Ka Yui & Dong, Jinyue, 2015. "Comparing consumption-based asset pricing models: The case of an Asian city," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 18-41.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J3 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs
    • J5 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining

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