The heterogenous effects of employers' concentration on wages: better sorting or uneven rent extracting?
Arquie, Axelle ; Bertin, Julia
Centre d'études prospectives et d'informations internationales, Paris
CEPII - Paris
2022
51 p.
wages ; labour market ; wage differential
Working Paper
2022-09
Wages and wage payment systems
http://www.cepii.fr/PDF_PUB/wp/2022/wp2022-09.pdf
English
Bibliogr.
"Are workers equal in front of employers' concentration? We show, using instrumental variable estimations for France between 2000 and 2019, that employers' concentration has a negative heterogenous effect on wage, with the lowest earners being the most vulnerable. This increased wage inequality could reflect some efficiency gains if concentration allows employers to impose a more demanding selection process, improving sorting i.e. workers selection, thus generating both inequality and higher productivity. We find, exploring within-firm and between-firm inequality, that it is not the case. Employers' concentration instead generates wage inequality by undercutting relatively more the bargaining power of the lowest earners."
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