Documents Vergeer, Robert 4 results

"More ‘flexible' labour relations significantly reduce labour productivity growth in sectors that tend towards a ‘routinised' (other than a ‘garage business') innovation regime. We argue that structural reforms that make firing easier will diminish the loyalty and commitment of workers, making accumulation of (tacit) knowledge more difficult. It also reduces training, increases knowledge-leaking to competitors and favours autocratic management and the growth of management and control bureaucracies. Our results are consistent with findings in macro-level studies that wage-cost saving flexibilisation of labour relations and downward wage flexibility reduce labour productivity growth: a 1 per cent wage change causes a ? 0.4 per cent change in value added per labour hour."

"Based on comprehensive regression analysis, the authors find that weak wage growth and a smaller labour share of national income significantly reduce labour productivity growth. They conclude that supply-side labour market reforms have contributed to reducing labour productivity growth: this cannot be explained by a deregulation-induced inflow of low-productivity labour as proposed by OECD researchers. They also discuss why deregulation, easier firing and higher labour turnover may damage learning and knowledge accumulation in companies, notably by weakening the functioning of the “routinized” innovation model (“Schumpeter II”). Finally, their findings raise doubts about the relevance of Baumol's law and Verdoorn's law."

"Deregulierung von Arbeitsmärkten und Lohnzurückhaltung haben signifikant niedrigere Wachstumsraten der Arbeitsproduktivität zur Folge. Dieser Beitrag diskutiert theoretische Argumente, warum "starre" Arbeitsmärkte für Innovationen nützlich sein können. Empirische Studien fundieren diese Argumente. Das Argument, dass größere Fluktuationen im Personalbestand schädlich sind für Innovationen und Lernprozesse, gilt vor allem für Betriebe mit einem "routinemäßigen" Innovationsmodell. Diese Betriebe sind stark abhängig von historisch akkumulierter Kenntnis, wovon viel personengebunden und schlecht dokumentiert ist ("tacit knowledge"). "Garage Business"-Betriebe wie etwa in Sillicon Valley brauchen mehr allgemein verfügbare Kenntnisse und haben damit viel weniger Probleme mit häufigerem Personalwechsel. Es ist interessant festzustellen, dass sich das Wachstum des Bruttoinlandsprodukts zwischen angelsächsischen Ländern (mit flexiblen Arbeitsmärkten) und korporatistischen Ländern (mit relativ rigiden Arbeitsmärkten) nur geringfügig unterscheidet. Außerdem gibt es Anlass, die Behauptung zu bezweifeln, dass "flexible" Länder niedrigere Arbeitslosenzahlen hätten."

"This article develops and examines the idea that internal labour flexibility practices are beneficial for labour productivity and innovation performance of companies. This is tested in two studies using unique company level datasets. In Study 1, results obtained from 377 independent companies revealed that internal labour flexibility practices are positively related to objective labour productivity and its growth in the year following, also when controlled for objective labour productivity and objective external labour flexibility from the year before. In Study 2, results obtained from 4271 companies indicated that internal labour flexibility practices were positively related to product innovation and labour productivity. Findings suggest that internal labour flexibility practices benefit both labour productivity and innovation performance of companies. If innovation and labour productivity are considered key to long-term survival, firms and policymakers should consider internal labour flexibility practices. "