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on Labour Economics |
| By: | Wang, Yifan; Wang, Chunbei; Holmes, Chanita |
| Abstract: | Immigration continues to shape labor market dynamics, yet its gender-specific effects remain understudied. This study revisits the Mariel Boatlift, when about 125, 000 Cubans arrived in Miami in 1980, increasing the local labor supply by 7%, to examine its impact on native women's labor market outcomes. While previous studies have mainly focused on wage effects among low-skilled male workers and found limited effects, the consequences for native women have been largely overlooked. This research fills this gap by examining how the influx of low-skilled immigrants affected native women's labor force participation, unemployment, wages, and hours worked. Using data from the March Current Population Survey (CPS) and its Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) from 1976 to 1993, and applying the Synthetic Difference-in-Differences (SDID) method, we find substantial declines in labor force participation and notable increase in unemployment among native women, with both low- and high-educated women experiencing adverse effects. These findings provide new evidence that immigration shocks can have broad and heterogeneous impacts across genders, complementing the literature that has largely found minimal labor market effects, particularly among men. |
| Keywords: | immigration, supply shock, labor force, native, gender, Mariel Boatlift, Synthetic Difference-in-Differences |
| JEL: | J15 J16 J21 J61 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1613 |
| By: | Degenhardt, Felix (University of Potsdam); Nimczik, Jan Sebastian (European School of Management and Technology (ESMT)) |
| Abstract: | We examine whether gig jobs in online food delivery (OFD) are a stepping stone for refugees entering the Austrian labor market. Our identification strategy combines the quasi-random assignment of refugees to Austrian regions with the expansion of gig firms across the country. The local availability of OFD jobs at the time of access to the labor market initially accelerates job finding among refugees. Subsequently, however, gig workers remain in low-paid, unstable jobs with low career prospects, while the employment rate of refugees without gig opportunities catches up. The local availability of gig jobs negatively affects human capital investments and job search behavior, even among refugees outside the gig economy. |
| Keywords: | employment restrictions, refugees, gig work, labor market integration |
| JEL: | J15 J61 J81 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17928 |
| By: | Giovanni Abbiati (University of Brescia); Erich Battistin (University of Maryland); Paola Monti (Rodolfo Debenedetti Foundation); Paolo Pinotti (paolo.pinotti@unibocconi.it) |
| Abstract: | We evaluate a labor market integration program that fast-tracked asylum seekers into the Italian labor market through personalized job mentoring, placement assistance, and on-the-job training. Leveraging randomized assignment across reception centers and individual-level administrative records, we find effects on employment rates of 10 percentage points, or 30% over the baseline, over a 18-month period. The program also improved job quality through increased access to fixed-term and open-ended contracts. Subsidized internships were a critical pathway to transitioning participants into standard employment. Survey data indicate that these effects reflect a net increase in employment, rather than a shift from informal to formal jobs. We also document broader benefits on socioeconomic integration, including language proficiency and social networks with native Italians. |
| Keywords: | Asylum Seekers, Job Mentoring, Labor Market Integration, SocioeconomicIntegration |
| JEL: | C93 D04 F22 I38 J15 J61 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crm:wpaper:2512 |
| By: | Astrid Kunze; Katrin Scharfenkamp |
| Abstract: | This study examines the interplay of co-determination law and board gender quotas using novel board-director panel data for Norway. We present descriptive evidence suggesting that boards with employee representatives on boards of directors were more gender diverse before the gender quota. Difference-in-differences estimation results reveal that the differential effect of employee representation on gender diversity is negative after implementing the quota. Boards with employee representatives have recruited fewer women during the phase-in period and the flexible quota tended to be ineffective. We interpret the effect through employee representation as a potential mediating factor of board gender quotas on gender diversity. |
| Keywords: | employee representation, boards of directors, gender, leadership affirmative action, public policy, shareholder directors, firm size |
| JEL: | G34 J16 J53 J51 J78 M54 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11902 |
| By: | Buzard, Kristy (Syracuse University); Gee, Laura Katherine (Tufts University); Stoddard, Olga B. (Brigham Young University) |
| Abstract: | Gender imbalance in time spent on child rearing causes gender inequalities in labor market outcomes, human capital accumulation, and economic mobility. We conduct a large-scale field experiment with a near-universe of US schools to investigate a potential source of this inequality: external demands for parental involvement. Schools receive an email from a fictitious two-parent household with a general inquiry and are asked to call one of the parents back. Mothers are 1.4 times more likely than fathers to be contacted. We decompose this inequality into discrimination stemming from differential beliefs about parents’ responsiveness versus other factors and demonstrate that the gender gap in external demands is associated with various measures of gender norms. We also show that signaling father's availability substantially changes the gender pattern of callbacks. Our findings underscore a process through which agents outside the household contribute to within-household gender inequalities. |
| Keywords: | field experiment, gender gap, discrimination |
| JEL: | J16 J71 C93 J22 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17922 |
| By: | Rafael Lalive (University of Lausanne); Aderonke Osikominu (University of Hohenheim); Lorenzo Pesaresi (University of Zürich); Jeremy Zuchuat (University of Lausanne); Josef Zweimüller (University of Zurich) |
| Abstract: | The job finding rate declines with the duration of unemployment, but the relative importance of workers’ search behavior and employers’ recruitment behavior remains unclear. We use monthly search diaries from Swiss public employment offices to shed new light on this issue. Search diaries record each single application sent by a job seeker and indicate whether the employer followed up with an interview and a job offer. Based on more than 600, 000 applications sent by 15, 000 job seekers, we find that applications and interviews decrease, but job offers per interview increase with duration. A theoretical framework with endogenous search effort by workers and statistical discrimination by firms replicates the duration patterns of applications, interviews and job offers closely. The estimated model predicts that roughly half of the decline in the job finding rate is due to structural duration dependence and the other half to dynamic selection of the unemployment pool. Falling applications by job seekers – who internalize statistical discrimination by firms – are the main driver of duration dependence. |
| Keywords: | ob search, job finding, duration dependence, dynamic selection, searcheffort, job application, callback, job interview, job offer. |
| JEL: | J24 J64 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crm:wpaper:2515 |
| By: | Anne Brenoe (University of Zurich); Ursa Krenk (University of Zurich); Andreas Steinhauer (University of Edinburgh); Josef Zweimueller (University of Zurich) |
| Abstract: | How do firms adjust their labor demand when a female employee takes temporary leave after childbirth? Using Austrian administrative data, we compare firms with and without a birth event and exploit policy reforms that significantly altered leave durations. We find that (i) firms adjust hiring, employment, and wages around leave periods, but these effects fade quickly; (ii) adjustments differ sharply by gender, reflecting strong gender segregation within firms; (iii) longer leave entitlements extend actual leave absences but have only short-term effects; and (iv) there is no impact on firm closure up to five years after birth. |
| Keywords: | family leave, firms, labor supply, labor demand, gender, absence duration |
| JEL: | H2 H5 J2 J08 J13 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crm:wpaper:2514 |
| By: | Anders Humlum; Jakob Munch; Mette Rasmussen |
| Abstract: | This paper examines if active labor market programs help unemployed job seekers find jobs using a novel random caseworker instrumental variable (IV) design. Leveraging administrative data from Denmark, our identification strategy exploits that (i) job seekers are quasi-randomly assigned to caseworkers, and (ii) caseworkers differ in their tendencies to assign similar job seekers to different programs. Using our IV strategy, we find assignment to classroom training increases employment by 29% two years after initial job loss of compliers. This finding contrasts with the conclusion reached by ordinary least squares (OLS), which suffers from a negative bias due to selection on unobservables. The employment effects are driven by job seekers who complete the programs (post-program effects) rather than job seekers who exit unemployment upon assignment (threat effects), and the programs help job seekers change occupations. We show that job seekers exposed to offshoring – who tend to experience larger and more persistent employment losses – also have higher employment gains from classroom training. By estimating marginal treatment effects, we conclude that total employment may be increased by targeting training toward job seekers exposed to offshoring. |
| JEL: | I28 J08 J24 J68 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33807 |
| By: | Michèle Belot; Bart K. de Koning; Didier Fouarge; Philipp Kircher; Paul Muller; Sandra Phlippen |
| Abstract: | We study the impact of online information provision to unemployed job seekers who are looking for work in occupations in slack markets, i.e. with only few vacancies per job seeker. Job seekers received suggestions about suitable alternative occupations, and how the prospects of these alternatives compare to their current occupation of interest. Some additionally received a link to a motivational video. We evaluate the interventions using a randomized field experiment covering all eligible job seekers registered to search in the target occupations. The vast majority of treated job seekers open the message revealing the alternative suggestions. The motivational video is rarely watched. Effects on unemployed job seekers in structurally poor labor markets are large: their employment, hours of work and labor income all improve by 5% to 6% after 18 months. Additional survey evidence shows that treated job seekers find employment in more diverse occupations. |
| JEL: | C93 J62 J64 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33819 |
| By: | Dimico, Arcangelo |
| Abstract: | I evaluate the impact of abortion policies in sub-Saharan Africa to understand the potential consequences of a reduced international support for women's rights following the overturn of Roe v. Wade. I find that decriminalizing abortion reduces fertility through two complementary channels. For households at the top of the wealth distribution, the effect manifests as a reduction in excess fertility, which is more pronounced among lower-educated women due to their lower likelihood of using contraception. For households at the bottom of the wealth distribution, the impact runs through a decline in the number of children with a low survival probability. This latter effect is more pronounced among highly educated women, who are more likely to control their own health-related decisions and view abortion as a viable option. I also find that while women's education levels rise after decriminalization, this does not lead to better labor market opportunities. Children born afterwards tend to achieve higher levels of education. |
| Keywords: | Abortion, fertility, child mortality, human capital |
| JEL: | O15 J13 J16 K38 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1609 |
| By: | Zuzanna Kowalik |
| Abstract: | The widespread shift to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a debate on its impact on employee satisfaction. Despite assumptions that greater flexibility and autonomy would inherently boost job satisfaction, research findings have been inconsistent. A key mechanism that might help explain these mixed outcomes is organisational culture. This study, based on unique linked employer-employee panel data, examines how various dimensions of corporate culture are associated with job satisfaction among remote and on-site workers. The findings reveal that working from home (WFH) enhances job satisfaction, particularly within companies characterised by weaker organisational cultures in the area of communication, leadership and supervision. Importantly, this effect varies significantly by gender: men predominantly benefit from WFH in weaker cultural contexts, while women experience increased satisfaction primarily in organisations with strong supportive cultures. Personality traits, including extraversion and agreeableness, further moderate these relationships. These results highlight the importance of aligning remote work policies with organisational culture to effectively address gender differences and ensure broad-based improvements in employee satisfaction and workplace well-being. |
| Keywords: | Working from home, Job satisfaction, Organisational culture, Gender differences, Remote work |
| JEL: | M54 J81 J28 J16 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ibt:wpaper:wp042025 |
| By: | Carlos J. Gil-Hernández (Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti", Universita' di Firenze); Daniele Vignoli (Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti", Universita' di Firenze); Raffaele Guetto (Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti", Universita' di Firenze); Marialuisa Maitino (Istituto Regionale per la Programmazione Economica della Toscana (IRPET)); Letizia Ravagli (Istituto Regionale per la Programmazione Economica della Toscana (IRPET)) |
| Abstract: | This study adopts a dyadic approach to assess whether higher-income women experience lower fertility due to opportunity costs and conventional gender norms, or whether income pooling within couples facilitates parenthood. We test the well-established gendered relationship between income and fertility in Italy, a country historically known for its division of family roles along traditional gender lines. Utilising longitudinal tax data (2003–2021; n=5, 384, 425 person-years) from Tuscany—an Italian region representing average levels of economic development and gender equality in Europe—we apply discrete-time event-history analyses. Results show that higher earnings for both men and women increase the likelihood of first birth, with couples in which both partners are high earners being the most likely to have children and low-income couples the least likely. These findings challenge traditional sex-specialisation models and support the view that couples’ income pooling is a key factor for parenthood. While the positive income-fertility association remained stable for married couples, it grew stronger among single/cohabiting individuals as of the late 2010s, suggesting that rising economic prerequisites to parenthood contribute to growing income inequality in fertility. |
| Keywords: | Fertility, Assortative Mating, Income, Tax Data, Inequality, Couples, Italy, Tuscany |
| JEL: | J13 J12 J16 J22 D13 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fir:econom:wp2025_03 |
| By: | Kilic, Tugce |
| Abstract: | This study investigates how the economic structure of host regions shapes the labor market impacts of refugee inflows, focusing on the case of the Syrian refugee influx into Germany in 2014-2015. Utilizing a fuzzy difference-in-differences approach, the analysis introduces a novel measure of sectoral diversification to assess local absorptive capacity. The results show that sectoral diversification plays a significant role in moderating short-term labor market outcomes. Counties with less diversified employment structures experience greater adverse impacts on non-German workers, while more diversified regions are better able to absorb new arrivals and mitigate unemployment pressures. These results underscore the importance of considering local economic structures in the regional allocation of refugees and the design of integration policies. |
| Keywords: | Immigration, Labor market, Asylum seekers, Syrian refugees, Germany |
| JEL: | F22 J21 J61 C21 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:ipewps:319062 |
| By: | Joaquín Herrera; Martin González-Rozada; Hernan Ruffo |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the fiscal cost of unemployment insurance (UI). For that purpose, it surveys alternative methods used in the literature for estimating UI effects on government budget and compares them in a general setup. It then applies these methods using data from Argentina. Along with an estimate of the consumption drop upon unemployment, the paper evaluates the Marginal Value of Public Funds of UI and finds that, while results vary substantially depending on how fiscal externalities are considered, the value of UI tends to be positive and high. |
| Keywords: | Unemployment Insurance, Impact evaluation, Welfare analysis. |
| JEL: | I38 J65 D61 C41 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:udt:wpecon:2025_09 |
| By: | Amuedo-Dorantes, Catalina; Wang, Chunbei |
| Abstract: | Since 2012, DACA has provided deportation relief and work authorization to immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. This study examines how legal and political uncertainty, triggered by the Trump administration's 2017 announcement to end the program, affected recipients' economic and social outcomes. Using difference-in-differences and event study methods, we find that gains in education, health, and geographic mobility largely persisted, while employment and income benefits eroded, particularly in nonsanctuary and high-enforcement states. However, strong local DACA networks helped buffer these losses. The results underscore how policy uncertainty can erode some gains while others persist in more supportive environments. |
| Keywords: | DACA, undocumented immigrants, Trump, employment, health, education |
| JEL: | J12 J15 J18 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1617 |
| By: | Pierre-Loup Beauregard; Thomas Lemieux; Derek Messacar; Raffaele Saggio |
| Abstract: | We use Canadian matched employer-employee data to assess the sources of the union pay premium. After controlling for worker heterogeneity using the Abowd, Kramarz, and Margolis (1999) (AKM) two-way fixed effects approach, we find that unionized firms pay about 15 log points more than non-unionized firms. Forty percent of this gap is linked to productivity differences between unionized and non-unionized firms as measured by value added per worker. The remaining gap reflects unions’ ability to extract more rents for workers. Our estimates imply that unions raise pay among unionized workers by around 9 log points. The union effect grows to about 11 log points in an extension of the AKM approach where unions also affect the returns to unobservable worker characteristics. |
| JEL: | J3 J50 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33740 |
| By: | Marco Clemens (Institute for Labour Law and Industrial Relations in the European Union (IAAEU), Trier University); Laszlo Goerke (Institute for Labour Law and Industrial Relations in the European Union (IAAEU), Trier University) |
| Abstract: | This study provides the first comprehensive investigation of the relationship between trade union membership and non-performance-oriented bonuses. We expect a positive impact of union membership because members benefit from special entitlements, increased bargaining power and informational advantages. Using data from the German Socio-economic panel (GSOEP), we observe that union members are more likely to receive at least one bonus payment per year, a higher number of bonuses, and a higher amount than comparable non-members. We also observe the positive union membership effect for employees covered by collective bargaining or co-determination via works councils. Employing a novel instrumental variable, we find evidence of a positive effect of union membership on the number and level of bonus payments. Furthermore, higher bonuses do not go along with wage decreases. |
| Keywords: | bonus payments, collective bargaining, GSOEP, trade union membership |
| JEL: | J31 J33 J51 J52 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iaa:dpaper:202503 |
| By: | Lorenzo Aldeco Leo; Matteo Ghilardi; Hugo Tuesta |
| Abstract: | This paper explores how fluctuations in crime rates influence labor market outcomes in Mexico. Using detailed survey data and an individual-fixed effect estimation, the analysis reveals distinct gender dynamics in response to rising homicide rates. Men are more likely to exit the labor market due to reduced demand for their labor, while women increasingly join the workforce, mainly in the informal sector, to offset this decline. This outcome is largely driven by the presence of drug trafficking organizations, which primarily employ men in their operations. Escalating violence also increases labor mobility, leading to higher job separations, particularly among women seeking safer employment. Our results highlight that while increasing crime in the form of homicides may not induce large changes in the aggregate level of employment, there is evidence of labor reallocation across and within sectors. This suggests an increase in labor market misallocation. |
| Keywords: | Crime; Labor Markets; Gender; Mexico. |
| Date: | 2025–05–23 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2025/100 |
| By: | Robert Paul Hartley (Columbia University); Carlos Lamarche (University of Kentucky); James P. Ziliak (University of Kentucky) |
| Abstract: | We investigate how length of time on welfare during childhood affects economic outcomes in early adulthood. Using intergenerationally linked mother-child pairs from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we adopt a nonlinear difference-in-differences framework using the 1990s welfare reform to estimate average and quantile treatment effects on intensity of welfare use and earnings in adulthood. The causal estimates indicate that additional childhood welfare exposure leads to more adulthood years on the broader safety net for both daughters and sons, yet this positive relationship only applies below moderate levels of adult welfare participation and reverses at greater levels of dependence. Increasing childhood welfare exposure implies lower earnings in adulthood for daughters, however we find no evidence that it depresses adult sons’ earnings. Both daughters and sons exhibit some wage penalty from childhood welfare exposure, yet only daughters are penalized through hours worked in the labor market. |
| JEL: | I38 J62 H53 |
| Date: | 2028–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dls:wpaper:0350 |
| By: | Similan Rujiwattanapong (Faculty of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University and Centre for Macroeconomics); Masahiro Yoshida (Department of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University, Tokyo) |
| Abstract: | Historically, unemployment peaks in the first and third quarters—the arrival of cold winters and hot summers. This paper attributes non-seasonally-adjusted (NSA) unemployment fluctuations to temperature shocks and assesses the impact of climate change on unemployment seasonality. Combining granular daily weather across US counties with monthly unemployment rates over the period 1990-2019, we find that extreme temperature days fuel unemployment by freezing hiring and triggering layoffs and thus, insurance claims and recipients. Climate change accounts for 40% of the decline in unemployment seasonality and 13% of the moderation in fluctuations in the overall NSA unemployment rate. Accelerated future warming will propagate the unemployment seasonality through milder winters and harsher summers. |
| Keywords: | Climate change, Unemployment rate, Unemployment seasonality, Unemployment insurance |
| JEL: | J63 J64 J65 Q54 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wap:wpaper:2512 |
| By: | Eriksson, Tor (Aarhus University); Smith, Nina (Aarhus University) |
| Abstract: | Despite considerable changes in the gender gap regarding educational qualifications and labor force participation, the share of female managers has changed only slowly and continues to be low. This paper adds new evidence to the study of the dearth of women in top managerial positions in firms by documenting and analyzing data on beliefs about own managerial abilities collected from survey of a large sample of Danish managers. We develop measures for gender stereotype attitudes and beliefs about ability, distinguishing between masculine and feminine skills, and examine whether these are correlated with each other and differ by gender. We find that especially female C-level managers differ substantially from managers at levels below. Female medium and lower-level managers’ beliefs in own ability is lower than for their male peers for two reasons: weaker prescriptive gender stereotype attitudes and lower miscalculation of abilities, possibly less overconfidence. The weaker ability beliefs contribute to reduced self-confidence and career ambitions and to the explanations for the lack of women in top positions. |
| Keywords: | managerial labor markets, career aspirations, agentic and communal skills, gender stereotypes, beliefs about own ability |
| JEL: | J16 D83 D84 M51 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17921 |
| By: | Elodie Carpentier; Alexander Cuntz; Alessio Muscarnera; Julio Raffo |
| Abstract: | Scientific progress relies on access to prior knowledge, yet costly access to academic literature can hinder researchers, particularly in marginalized positions of academia and developing economies. This paper examines the impact of free or lower-cost access to scientific literature on gender representation in research. Leveraging the staggered adoption of the Hinari program, which provides digital access to health science research, we analyze its effects on women’s participation in research production and academic publishing across more than 600 institutions in 80 countries. Using a triple difference approach, we find that improved digital access to knowledge increases the share of women scientists in publishing faculty and enhances their research output. The program's effects are most pronounced in countries with lower gender balance in educational attainment, where it appears to help overcome attainment gaps and activate women's potential in academic labor markets. Our study contributes to the literature on digitization, access to knowledge and gender disparities in academia, while also helping to inform science and innovation policy and human capital development. |
| Keywords: | Open science, Development, Health Science, Gender studies, Triple difference, Impact evaluation |
| JEL: | J16 L17 O31 O33 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wip:wpaper:88 |
| By: | Aurelien Eyquem (University of Lausanne, CH); Masashige Hamano (Waseda university, Tokyo, JP and Université du Luxembourg (Extramural Research Fellow)) |
| Abstract: | A tractable model with heterogeneous households is proposed to analyze the two-way interactions between demographic and macroeconomic variables. Total population and labor-market participation are both endogenous and affected by economic as well as demographic factors. We perform a quantitative exercise focusing on trend dynamics based on Japanese data. Our counterfactual analysis reveals the role of labor-market participation costs, sunk costs of raising newborns, and technology progress. |
| Keywords: | Heterogeneous workers, Aging, Productivity, Labor markets. |
| JEL: | E20 J11 J13 J21 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:luc:wpaper:25-06 |
| By: | Qianqian Yang (Graduate School of Economics, Kobe University, JAPAN); Nobuaki Hamaguchi (Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration, Kobe University, JAPAN) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines whether, and to what extent, inter-provincial migration in China responds to real minimum wage disparities. To conceptualize this relationship, we extend the Harris-Todaro framework by incorporating minimum wages in both rural and urban areas. For the empirical analysis, we utilize an origin-destination matrix constructed from Hukou-linked migration data (2000-2020) and match it with interprovincial minimum wage differentials. To address endogeneity concerns, we estimate a gravity-type model with fixed effects and apply an instrumental variable strategy. The baseline results indicate that a 1% increase in real minimum wage disparity leads to a 1.05% increase in inter-provincial migration. IV estimates suggest that simple OLS correlations may understate this positive effect. We also find significant heterogeneity: migrants from less developed provinces are more responsive to wage differentials, particularly when moving toward more urbanized regions. These findings highlight the role of minimum wage policy in shaping internal labor mobility within a developing and regionally diverse economy. |
| Keywords: | Minimum wage; Internal migration; China; Regional wage disparities; Instrumental variable strategy |
| JEL: | J38 J61 R23 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:kob:dpaper:dp2025-11 |
| By: | Molina, Jose Alberto; Velilla, Jorge |
| Abstract: | This paper analyzes the evolution of working from home across European countries using data from the European Working Conditions Survey (2005–2021). The study documents a substantial increase in working from home, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, with notable cross-country and gender differences. It also examines how working from home correlates with individual characteristics such as gender, age, education, employment status, occupation, and household composition. We find that self-employment, digital work intensity, and higher education are consistently associated with greater working from home prevalence. Conversely, public sector employment and full-time contracts are negatively related to working from home. |
| Keywords: | work from home; remote work; telework; EWCS data |
| JEL: | D0 J01 |
| Date: | 2025–05–27 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:124865 |
| By: | Alessandro Feraldi (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany); Christian Dudel (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany) |
| JEL: | J1 Z0 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dem:wpaper:wp-2025-017 |
| By: | Roy, Kusumita Bardhan; Tripathi, Sabyasachi |
| Abstract: | Globally, women are still less likely than men to enter the workforce. Since 1990, the gender gap in labour force participation has remained at 30% worldwide. Female employment is critical to economic stability and personal development, providing financial security, purpose, and societal contribution. However, technological advancements, R&D, and economic fluctuations constantly shape global employment opportunities, resulting in significant disparities across sectors. This study investigates the determinants of female employment separately for agriculture, industry, and service sectors, using data from the World Development Indicators (WDI) from 2004 to 2023. The Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) panel regression results show that different factors contribute to female employment in different sectors. Reducing the female contribution to family work and fertility ratio is important for reducing female employment in agriculture. Exports of goods and services and female self-employment are essential for increasing female employment in the industry sector. Additionally, domestic credit to the private sector, labour force participation rate, labour force with basic education, and life expectancy at birth need to be encouraged to increase female employment in the service sector. Finally, relevant policies are suggested to increase female employment for sustainable economic growth. |
| Keywords: | Female employment, agriculture, industry, service, FGLS regression analysis, cross country. |
| JEL: | J16 J21 O10 |
| Date: | 2025–01–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:124674 |
| By: | Intraligi, Valerio; Biagetti, Marco; Principi, Andrea |
| Abstract: | An expanding body of research documents the adverse impact of heat stress on aggregate employment outcomes, particularly in climate-exposed sectors and occupations. Yet, the role of individual-level heterogeneity-especially for what concerns ageing-remains relatively underexplored. By using Italian individual-level labor market survey data over 2004-2017, this study employs a pseudo panel research design to assess the impact of heath waves on the probability of transitioning in and out of employment for different cohort groups. While preliminary individual-level evidence indicates that heat waves significantly increase the probability of employment exit and decrease the probability of employment entry; controlling for unobservable cohort-province characteristics yields that only older cohorts show a higher probability of employment exit-while only younger ones show a lower probability of entry. These findings provide robust evidence of the vulnerability of older workers to climate-related labor market disruptions, and underscore the importance of integrating age-sensitive dimensions into labor and climate policy frameworks. |
| Keywords: | heat waves, Workforce ageing, Probit model, Pseudo panel, Employment transitions |
| JEL: | C51 C55 J00 Q51 Q54 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:esprep:318649 |
| By: | Celia Melguizo (Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain); Juan A. Sanchis (Universidad de Valencia and ERICES, Valencia, Spain) |
| Abstract: | People's choices about where to live and work have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The media, as well as regional and urban literature, acknowledge that the 'urban exodus' phenomenon occurred concurrently with the pandemic disruptive effects. This study explores how migration patterns shifted at the municipal level in Spain during 2020, while also examining how the factors traditionally seen as population attractors have evolved over time. We analyse a range of demographic groups, distinguishing between internal migration within provinces and movement across provincial borders. Our findings indicate a clear change in migration trends: municipal size has become less relevant and labour market conditions have also diminished in importance in interprovincial migration, while municipalities with a higher concentration of secondary residences have become much more attractive. |
| Keywords: | Internal Migration, Cities, Covid-19 |
| JEL: | J61 R1 R23 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eec:wpaper:2509 |
| By: | Douglas W. Elmendorf; R. Glenn Hubbard; Zachary Liscow |
| Abstract: | Could policy changes boost economic growth enough and at a low enough cost to meaningfully reduce federal budget deficits? We assess seven areas of economic policy: immigration of high-skilled workers, housing regulation, safety net programs, regulation of electricity transmission, government support for research and development, tax policy related to business investment, and permitting of infrastructure construction. We find that growth-enhancing policies almost certainly cannot stabilize federal debt on their own, but that such policies can reduce the explicit tax hikes, spending cuts, or both that are needed to stabilize debt. We also find a dearth of research on the likely impacts of potential growth-enhancing policies and on ways to design such policies to restrain federal debt, and we offer suggestions for ways to build a larger base of evidence. |
| JEL: | D24 E62 H62 I38 J61 O38 Q48 Q58 R38 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33834 |