A Note on the Calculation of Firm-specific and Skill-specific Labor Costs from Firm-level Data / Zur Berechnung von qualifikations- und firmenspezifischen Arbeitskosten auf der Grundlage von Firmendaten

2000 ◽  
Vol 220 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Kaiser

SummaryVirtually all empirical firm-level studies on the demand for heterogeneous labor do not include labor cost in the econometric specification. This is due to the fact that business and innovation survey data usually lack differentiated information on labor cost. This paper shows how reliable skill-specific and firm-specific labor cost can be calculated from firm-level data on the basis of information on total labor cost and firms' skill mix only. The simple method proposed here is applied to German innovation survey data.Three consistency checks are performed: (i) the estimated skill-specific and firm-specific labor costs are compared to aggregated data taken from official statistics, (ii) it is tested if the methods leads to "too much" variation of skill-specific labor costs within firms across time and (iii) labor costs are estimated for two different data sets and compared to reality. The consistency checks indicate that the labor cost decomposition proposed in this paper leads to reliable results.

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Hagsten ◽  
Anna Sabadash

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to broaden the perspective on how information and communication technology (ICT) relates to productivity by introducing a novel ICT variable: the share of ICT-schooled employees in firms, an intangible input often neglected or difficult to measure. Design/methodology/approach Based on a Cobb-Douglas production function specification, the association between the share of ICT-schooled employees and firm productivity is estimated by the use of unique comparable multi-linked firm-level data sets from statistical offices in six European countries for the period of 2001-2009. Findings There are indications that the share of ICT-schooled employees significantly and positively relates to productivity, and also that this relationship is generally more persistent than that of ICT intensity of firms, measured as the proportion of broadband internet-enabled employees. However, the strength of the association varies across countries and demonstrates that underlying factors, such as industry structure and institutional settings might be of importance too. Research limitations/implications Data features and the way to access harmonised firm-level data across countries affect the choice of econometric approach and output variable. Practical implications The results emphasise the importance of specific ICT skills in firms independently of where in the organisation the employee works. Originality/value Studies on associations between employees with specific (higher) education based on formal credentials and productivity are rare. Even more uncommon is the cross-country setting with harmonised data including general ICT intensity of firms.


2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariann Rigo ◽  
Vincent Vandenberghe ◽  
Fábio Waltenberg

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youssef Benzarti ◽  
Dorian Carloni

This paper evaluates the incidence of a large cut in value-added taxes (VATs) for French sit-down restaurants in 2009. In contrast to previous studies, which only focus on the price effects of VAT reforms, we estimate the effects of the VAT cut on four groups: workers, firm owners, consumers, and suppliers of material goods. Using a difference-in-differences strategy on firm-level data, we find that: firm owners pocketed more than 55 percent of the VAT cut; consumers, sellers of material goods, and employees shared the remaining windfall with consumers benefiting the least; and the employment effects were limited. (JEL H22, H25, L83)


Author(s):  
Trung A Dang ◽  
Randall W Stone

Abstract We find firm-level evidence that US banks receive preferential treatment in countries under IMF conditionality. We rely on investment location decisions to infer firms’ expectations about future profits and find that US firms are approximately 53 percent more likely to acquire financial firms in countries under financial conditionality. IMF programs without financial conditionality and FDI in other sectors serve as placebo tests. Financial conditionality has weak effects on investment decisions by non-US firms, which implies a political-economy interpretation. Firm-level data indicate that the distinctive behavior of US firms is not due to advantages of scale or to a US-firm fixed effect, but to US influence in the IMF. Firms from other major IMF shareholders benefit as well, but the effects are much weaker. The effects are concentrated in the politically relevant firms that have local affiliates, which is consistent with the interpretation that firms lobby for preferential treatment.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document