Labor Market Rigidities and the Employment Behavior of Older Workers

Datos Bibliográficos

ID3575786
AutoresDavid M Blau (0000-0002-2843-0577, IZA - Institute of Labor Economics), David Blau, Tetyana Shvydko (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Año2011
Volumen64
Número3
Páginas464-484
Fecha de publicación2011-04-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaIndustrial and Labor Relations Review (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0019-7939 • E-ISSN: 2162-271X
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/001979391106400303
OpenAlexW3122200140
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas8
Referencias citadas21

It is often asserted that the labor market is characterized by rigidities that make it difficult for older workers to carry out their desired trajectory from work to retirement. One potentially important source of rigidity is the restrictions on hours of work imposed by firms, but such rigidities are difficult to measure directly. The authors explore two variables that may serve as proxies for flexibility in hours at the employer level: the shares of older workers and young women in the employer's work force. The authors use matched worker-firm data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation and the Longitudinal Employer Household Dynamics study for the period 1990-2004 to analyze the effects of these variables on the job separation propensity of workers aged 45-69. Results indicate that older workers employed in firms with greater shares of older workers and young female workers have a lower propensity for job separation. These findings provide indirect but suggestive evidence of the importance of labor market rigidities in shaping employment decisions of older workers

Economics · Labour economics · Market structure · Microeconomics · Rigidity (electromagnetism · Work (physics · Economic Growth and Productivity · Engineering · Labor market dynamics and wage inequality · Retirement, Disability, and Employment