Too old to change? The link between Age, Wage Differentials and Job Mobility
Lutz Schneider
Sozialer Fortschritt,
No. 56,
2007
Abstract
The reduced job mobility of older employees is well known. As a result, the ageing of the workforce has clear implications for labor turnover in Germany. On the basis of the IAB’s employee survey (Beschaeftigtenstichprobe) (IABS), this article analyses the impact of age on (inter-firm) job mobility. In particular, the study answers the following question: how do wage differentials between an actual and a potential job evolve during employees’ working lives? It is shown that changing jobs is less profitable for older workers than it is for younger ones. However, the analysis also demonstrates that the wage differential between jobs cannot explain the whole mobility advantage of younger employees.
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Die Entwicklung des Arbeitsmarkts in Sachsen-Anhalt
Reiner Haseloff
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 6,
2007
Abstract
Sachsen-Anhalt verzeichnete in den letzten zwei Jahren einen überdurchschnittlichen Rückgang der Arbeitslosigkeit. Die Zahl der Arbeitslosen im ersten Quartal dieses Jahres lag um rund 70 000 Personen bzw. um fast ein Viertel unter der im ersten Quartal 2005. Zwar hat dieser Rückgang viele Gründe, es läßt sich jedoch festhalten, daß allein im vergangenen Jahr über 21 000 zusätzliche sozialversicherungspflichtige Beschäftigungsverhältnisse entstanden sind. Auch die Zahl der arbeitslosen Jugendlichen unter 25 Jahren konnte in Sachsen-Anhalt binnen der letzten zwei Jahre um etwa 37% gesenkt werden – die Jugendarbeitslosenquote ist mit 14,0% nach Thüringen die geringste unter den neuen Ländern.
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Einkommenssicherung, Arbeitsmarktpolitik und Beschäftigung in Ostdeutschland
Herbert S. Buscher
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 6,
2007
Abstract
The paper presents three approaches currently discussed, which might be useful attempts to protect income not to fall below a certain threshold. These concepts are either useful in the case of unemployment or for employees in the low wage sector of the economy. The approaches discussed have recently been published or have been discussed in the public. These are a minimum wage concept, a special variant of subsidized wages as favoured by the German Council of Economic Experts, and finally a workfare approach as suggested by the IZA Bonn. After briefly discussing the estimated employment effects of the various approaches, the paper addresses the question how the East German labour market will be affected by these measures.
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Zeitpotential für berufliche Weiterbildung von Arbeitslosen wenig genutzt
Joachim Wilde, Birgit Schultz
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 5,
2007
Abstract
In general, unemployed persons spend more time on further training than full-time employees. Using data of the latest time use survey (Zeitbudgeterhebung) of the Federal Statistical Office, this study analyzes whether this higher potential of time is being used or not. Furthermore, it describes which types of activities are made use of in particular. Heterogeneity due to different relevant socioeconomic characteristics in the two groups is eliminated by the appliance of a matching procedure.
Findings demonstrate that only around 15 % of the unemployed persons participate in further training activities off the job. In case of the full-time employment just under 40 % of the persons would take part. Relating to the average expenditure of time per week the difference decrease clearly. However, altogether the expenditure of time is not higher during unemployment.
A selection of subsamples points out different results, i.e. in some subsamples the expenditure of time for further training is larger during unemployment. However, in the subsample of low skilled persons these results are mainly caused by activities like hearing radio or watching TV. Thus, it is doubtful whether the higher expenditure of time qualifies for the primary labour market.
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Die Lage der Weltwirtschaft und der deutschen Wirtschaft im Frühjahr 2007
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
1. Sonderausgabe
2007
Abstract
In spring 2007, the global economy remains robust. While growth rates have declined slightly from last year, as business activity in the US has slowed, they continue to reflect an upswing, which by now has held on for a notably long time. Especially the developing and emerging countries have been raising output very fast, due in part to their increasing role in the international division of labour. In the industrialised economies, on the other hand, the current recovery has not been remarkably strong. So far the slowdown in the US economy has not spilled over to other regions and the Euro Area as well as Japan continue to expand at a high pace. Here expansive monetary policy provided a notable support. Buoyant financial markets stimulated the world economy additionally, even though market volatility has increased since the end of February. The US central bank’s current concern with inflationary risks keeps it from loosening its slightly restrictive monetary policy. It will be the second half of the year – when price pressures have eased – until the Fed makes its first rate cut. The ECB, on the other hand, has been preparing financial markets for a further increase in interest rates by summer. In 2007 and 2008 the growth disparities in the industrialised countries will diminish. On one hand, the upswing in the Euro Area will start to moderate, as fiscal policy hampers business activity and monetary policy will not stimulate anymore. On the other hand, the US economy will slowly gain pace from summer onwards; the emerging markets will continue to develop in a highly dynamic fashion. World-GDP in this and next year will likely rise by about 3 ¼ % in 2007, which is still faster than in the average of the last ten years. World trade will rise by 7 ½ % in the coming two years. An oil price of 65 US-Dollar and an exchange rate between the Euro and the US-Dollar of 1.32 were assumed for both years 2007 and 2008. The real estate market in the USA continues to be a risk for...
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Leiharbeit - ein Schmuddelkind des deutschen Arbeitsmarktes?
Herbert S. Buscher
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 2,
2007
Abstract
Der Beitrag befaßt sich mit einer bestimmten Form atypischer Beschäftigung: der Leiharbeit (oder auch Zeitarbeit genannt). Im Unterschied zu herkömmlichen Beschäftigungsverhältnissen zeichnet sich Leiharbeit dadurch aus, daß hier ein Dreiecksverhältnis zwischen Arbeitnehmer (Leiharbeiter), dem Arbeitgeber (der verleihenden Firma, Leihunternehmen) und dem ausleihenden Betrieb besteht. Der Arbeitnehmer ist im Leihbetrieb beschäftigt, erbringt aber seine Leistung nicht dort, sondern zeitlich befristet in dem ausleihenden Unternehmen Leiharbeit galt und gilt überwiegend immer noch als eine eher nicht erwünschte Form der Beschäftigung. Dementsprechend restriktiv waren die gesetzlichen Bestimmungen, zu denen Leiharbeit getätigt werden durfte, nachdem erstmalig 1972 hierfür gesetzliche Regelungen getroffen worden waren. Erst mit der über mehrere Jahre hinweg dauernden Auflockerung der Bestimmungen entfaltete sich Leiharbeit zu einer der dynamischsten Formen atypischer Beschäftigung, ja Beschäftigung überhaupt. Es ist zu erwarten, daß sich Leiharbeit auch in den kommenden Jahren weiter dynamisch entwickeln und durchaus zu einer Konkurrenz regulärer Beschäftigung werden kann, insbesondere, wenn sie sich verstärkt qualifizierten bzw. hoch qualifizierten Arbeitnehmern zuwendet. Der Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über die Entwicklung der Leiharbeit in Deutschland, über die wesentlichen (gesetzlichen) Regelungen, die Vor- und Nachteile aus Arbeitnehmer- bzw. Arbeitgebersicht und diskutiert schließlich, welche Chancen Arbeitsuchenden mit der Leiharbeit zur Verfügung stehen, um wieder eine Beschäftigung im ersten Arbeitsmarkt zu finden. Schließlich wird darauf verwiesen, daß Leiharbeit zukünftig stark an Bedeutung gewinnen wird und der Gesetzgeber bzw. die Tarifparteien bereits heute aufgefordert sind, diese Beschäftigungsform in einem sozialverträglichen Rahmen zu unterstützen.
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Mit 55 zum alten Eisen? Eine Analyse des Alterseinflusses auf die Produktivität anhand des LIAB
Lutz Schneider
Zeitschrift für Arbeitsmarktforschung,
No. 1,
2007
Abstract
"Against the background of an aging labor force in Germany and insufficient job opportunities for older people, the paper raises the question as to how age affects the productivity of workers. Due to opposite developments of certain human abilities across the life span, gerontological research supports the hypothesis of an inverted u-shaped age-productivity profile. Middle aged workers are supposed to achieve the highest productivity level, whereas both young and old employees should show lower productivity levels. The analysis is carried out on the basis of a new linked employer-employee dataset of the Institute for Employment Research (LIAB). Within a production function framework it is tested econometrically whether the age composition of a firm's workforce affects its productivity and if so in what way. The regressions are carried out separately for the manufacturing and the service sectors. The cross-section estimations of the year 2003 reveal a positive correlation between firm productivity and the share of middle-aged employees (35-44 years old). Furthermore, in the manufacturing sector, a negative correlation between productivity and the proportion of the youngest age group (15-24 years old) can be seen. Thus the results provide evidence of an inverted u-shaped age-productivity profile in this sector. In the service sector, in contrast, the share of the youngest workers seems to increase productivity compared to the reference group of the 55-64 year-old employees.
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Die demographische Entwicklung in Ostdeutschland: Gutachten im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Technologie
Stefan Eichler, B. Grundig, C. Pohl, Lutz Schneider, M. Thum, Harald Lehmann, Joachim Ragnitz, Helmut Seitz
ifo Dresden Studien, Nr. 41,
No. 41,
2007
Abstract
In den neuen Bundesländern wird die Bevölkerung auch in den kommenden Jahren weiter massiv schrumpfen. Dieser absehbare Rückgang der Bevölkerung und die damit einhergehende Alterung kann die gesamtwirtschaftliche Dynamik dämpfen. Aus diesem Grund wurde im Auftrag des Bundeswirtschaftsministeriums eine Studie zu den Implikationen der demographischen Entwicklung in den neuen Bundesländern erarbeitet. Mit Blick auf den Arbeitsmarkt wurden mehrere Simulationsrechnungen bis zum Jahr 2020 durchgeführt, die zeigen, dass die zukünftige Arbeitsmarktsituation durch zwei gleichgerichtete Entwicklungen geprägt sein wird. Einerseits vermindert sich das Arbeitsangebot, andererseits führt die demographische Entwicklung auch zu einer Reduktion der Arbeitsnachfrage im Sektor nicht-handelbarer Güter. Wie sich der Arbeitsmarkt für die einzelnen Qualifikationsstufen entwickeln wird, hängt wesentlich von der Lohnentwicklung ab. Die relative Knappheit bei Hochqualifizierten dürfte auf Dauer zu Lohnsteigerungen führen, während bei anhaltender Arbeitslosigkeit in den übrigen Arbeitsmarktsegmenten kein Lohndruck nach oben entsteht.
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Threshold for employment and unemployment. A spatial analysis of German RLM's 1992-2000
Christian Dreger, Reinhold Kosfeld
External Publications,
2006
Abstract
Changes in production and employment are closely related over the course of the business cycle. However, as exemplified by the laws of Verdoorn (1949, 1993) and Okun (1962, 1970), thresholds seem to be present in the relationship. Due to capacity reserves of the firms, output growth must exceed certain levels for the creation of new jobs or a fall in the unemployment rate. While Verdoorn's law focuses on the growth rate of output sufficient for an increase in employment, in Okun's law, the fall in the unemployment rate becomes the focus of attention. In order to assess the future development of employment and unemployment, these thresholds have to be taken into account. They serve as important guidelines for policymakers. In contrast to previous studies, we present joint estimates for both the employment and unemployment threshold. Due to demographic patterns and institutional settings on the labour market, the two thresholds can differ, implying that minimum output growth needed for a rise in employment may not be sufficient for a simultaneous drop in the unemployment rate. Second, regional information is considered to a large extent. In particular, the analysis is carried out using a sample of 180 German regional labour markets, see Eckey (2001). Since the cross-sections are separated by the flows of job commuters, they correspond to travel-to-work areas. Labour mobility is high within a market, but low among the entities. As the sectoral decomposition of economic activities varies across the regions, the thresholds are founded on a heterogeneous experience, leading to more reliable estimates.The contribution to the literature is twofold. First, to the best of our knowledge, no previous paper has investigated a similar broad regional dataset for the German economy as a whole before. By using a panel dataset, information on the regional distributions around the regression lines as well as theirs positional changes is provided for each year. Second, the methods applied are of new type. They involve a mixture of pooled and spatial econometric techniques. Dependencies across the regions may result from common or idiosyncratic (region specific) shocks. In particular, the eigenfunction decomposition approach suggested by Griffith (1996, 2000) is used to identify spatial and non-spatial components in regression analysis. As the spatial pattern may vary over time, inference is conducted on the base of a spatial SUR model. Due to this setting, efficient estimates of the thresholds are obtained. With the aid of a geographic information system (GIS) variation of the spatial components can be made transparent. With Verdoorn’s and Okun’s law the figures show some significant patterns become obvious over time. In respect to Verdoorn’s law, for instance, a stripe of high values in the north-western part from Schleswig-Holstein via Lower Saxony and North Rhine Westfalia to Rhineland Palatinate is striking in all years but 1994 and 1995. In most periods the spatial component is likewise concentrated in Saxony. Clusters of low values can be found in northern Bavaria and, in some periods, in Thüringen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Other parts of Germany appear to be more fragmented consisting of relative small clusters of low, medium and high values of the spatial component. With Okun’s law some changing spatial patterns arise. In all, spatially filtering provides valuable insights into the spatial dimensions of the laws of Verdoorn and Okun.
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The relationship between unemployment and output in post-communist countries
Hubert Gabrisch, Herbert Buscher
Post-Communist Economies,
2006
Abstract
Unemployment is still disappointingly high in most Central and East European countries, and might be a reflection of the ongoing adjustment to institutional shocks resulting from systemic transition, or it may be caused by high labour market rigidity, or aggregate demand that is too weak. In this paper we have investigated the dynamics of unemployment and output in those eight post-communist countries, which entered the EU in 2004. We used a model related to Okun’s Law; i.e. the first differences in unemployment rates were regressed on GDP growth rates. We estimated country and panel regressions with instrument variables (TSLS) and applied a few tests to the data and regression results. We assume transition of labour markets to be accomplished when a robust relationship exists between unemployment rate changes and GDP growth. Moreover, the estimated coefficients contain information about labour market rigidity and unemployment thresholds of output growth. Our results suggest that the transition of labour markets can be regarded as completed since unemployment responds to output changes and not to a changing institutional environment that destroys jobs in the state sector. The regression coefficients have demonstrated that a high trend rate of productivity and a high unemployment intensity of output growth have been occurring since 1998. Therefore, we conclude that labour market rigidities do not play an important role in explaining high unemployment rates. However, GDP growth is dominated by productivity progress and the employment-relevant component of aggregate demand is too low to reduce the high level of unemployment substantially.
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