Family Duties and Job Flexibility: Tradeoffs for Chinese Urban, Educated Mothers with Toddlers

Drawing on survey and interview data from mothers of 14-month infants in Nanjing, China, we explore women’s job trajectories as they juggle work and family responsibilities. Four profiles that emerge among our sample of 371 mothers (high stability, rapid cyclers, high-paid wage-growth, and intermittent) reflected not only their work career trajectories but also their different strategies of managing work-family balance. High-stability mothers were more likely than the other three groups to work in state-owned enterprises and experience a negative work climate. They illustrate how China’s changing economy shape work preferences of mothers who value interest and self-fulfillment, but pursue stability to accommodate their childrearing responsibilities.

Will Climate Change Increase Inequality in Wage Growth? -Evidence from China's 30 Provincial Capitals

Examining the impact of long-term temperature rise on wages is not only beneficial for gaining insight into the economic consequences of climate change, but also of great reference value to reduce income disparity and alleviate relative poverty. Based on the panel data of 30 provincial capitals from 1996-2018, the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) is adopted in this paper to conduct an empirical analysis of temperature rises’ impact on wage in various industries. It is found that, firstly, temperature rise will significantly reduce the growth of wage and show heterogeneity. Among them, the growth of wage in the manufacturing industry is most prominently affected by rising annual average temperatures. Second, in terms of seasonal differences, the negative impact of temperature rise on wage growth is mainly in summer. Different temperature swings and different vulnerability producers demonstrate lead to largely dissimilar marginal impacts of temperature rise in different regions. Wages in relatively vulnerable regions and regions with relatively sharp temperature fluctuations are more significantly affected by the increase in average summer temperatures. Thirdly, in the long run, the negative impact of annual average temperature increases on the wages of agriculture industries shows a notable cumulative effect, which mainly comes from the irreversible impact of temperature increase on labor productivity, and will further widen the income gap between regions. Based on the above findings, this paper proposes targeted strategies from two dimensions, “mitigation” and “adaptation”, in order to narrow the regional income gap and achieve balanced development, and to provide theoretical references for subsequent policies responding to climate change.

Jacks of All Trades and Masters of One: Declining Search Frictions and Unequal Growth

Declining search frictions generate productivity growth by allowing workers to find jobs for which they are better suited. For “jacks of all trades”—workers whose productivity is similar across different jobs in their labor market—declining search frictions lead to minimal growth. For “masters of one trade”—workers whose productivity varies a great deal across different jobs in their labor market—declining search frictions lead to fast growth. A rudimentary calibration suggests that differential returns to declining search frictions may account for a non-negligible fraction of the wage growth differential between routine and nonroutine workers. (JEL J24, J31, J63, J64, O33)

Real wage growth in the U.S. health workforce and the narrowing of the gender pay gap

Background Healthcare has been identified as a job engine during recent recessions in the U.S. Whether the healthcare sector provides better than average pay remains a question. This study investigates if wages grew with the expanding demand for healthcare workers between 2001 and 2017. Wage growth in the (1) physicians and surgeons, (2) nurse, (3) healthcare practitioner and technical, (4) healthcare support, and (5) direct patient care jobs are examined. The gender pay gap in each occupation is investigated. Methods The American Community Survey (ACS) public use microdata sample (PUMS) for 2001, 2004, 2008, 2013, and 2017 were used to derive hourly wages for full-time, full-year workers aged 18–75. The cumulative percent change in unadjusted, median hourly wages between 2001 and 2017 was calculated for each occupation. Quantile regression estimates predicted a median hourly wage for men and women by year and job after adjusting for differences in demographics, industry, and hours worked. Results Unadjusted median wage growth was 9.92% for nurses, 5.68% for healthcare practitioners, and 37.6% for physicians between 2001 and 2017. These rates are roughly above the estimated national rate of wage growth at the 50th wage percentile. In healthcare support and direct patient care occupations, workers experienced either stagnant or negative wage growth. Women had lower occupational wages than men. Conclusion The slow or negative median wage growth in all but the physician occupation between 2004–2008 and 2008–2013 confirms that healthcare wages in the U.S. are not recession-proof, unlike healthcare employment. Generally, women's earnings grew at rates that were higher or less negative than rates for men. This trend contributed to narrowing the gender pay gap in every occupation except for nurse.

The relationship between wages and productivity of agricultural labour: trends and directions

The article justifies the need to study the relationship between wage growth and productivity in agriculture. Particular attention is paid to the experience of individual subjects of the Russian Federation, on the territory of which there are agricultural organizations that fulfill the principle of dependence of wages on the number and quality of goods. It was concluded that at present, with an increase in wages, productivity growth is lagging behind significantly in groups of regions of the Russian Federation. It was suggested that the productivity and wage growth ratio should be used as a tool in the development and implementation of State programmes for the development and support of the agriculture sector.