• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.165-179
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• 2004

While they compare the growth rate of wage with that of average labor productivity, we compare it with the growth rate of marginal labor productivity. After estimating the elasticity of substitution and technology level, we estimate the marginal labor productivity. Wages and marginal labor productivities are similar over 1963-2000. However, while wages come short of marginal labor productivities over 1963-1986, they exceed marginal labor productivities over 1987-2000. Although the growth rate of wage is not so different from that of marginal labor productivity, it can be disparate from that of average labor productivity. Therefore the former exceeding the latter does not mean the excessive wage growth off the labor demand curve.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.61-88
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• 2018

This paper examines the impact of internal migration on wage growth among college graduates using Propensity Score Matching methods. We define migration as moving between Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA) and non-SMA based on the locations of graduates' first and second jobs. We also take the direction of migration into account for examining the wage premium in SMA. In order to estimate the impact of migration on wage growth, we use the Graduate Occupational Mobility Survey (2010GOMS) coupled with other supplementary data such as College Scholastic Ability Test score and local characteristic variables. The results reveals that graduates moving from SMA to non-SMA do not experience significant wage growth. However, we find that graduates moving from non-SMA to SMA experience an increase in their monthly wage about 170,000~186,000 KRW on average (9.5~10.3% of their monthly wage on the first job).

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.299-312
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• 2006

This study examines the relations among wage differentials, trade, and productivity in Korea, using the methodology of Granger causality and vector error correction modelling. Cointegration test results over the 1975-2004 period indicate that all the test variables are cointegrated. Therefore, wage differentials, trade, and productivity are all related in the long run. We found some evidence on long-run relationship, while there is no short-run relationship between three test variables. First, trade and wage differentials have positively and bi-directionally Granger causality in the long-run. Second, productivity Granger causes negatively wage differentials in the long-run. Finally, productivity Granger causes positively trade in the long-run. These results explain partially the current theoretical predictions for wage inequality as well as supports the productivity-led growth hypothesis in the Korean economy.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.14-35
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• 1999

This paper presents the relationship between the pace of structural change and the magnitude of employment growth in the manufacturing sector in OECD countries. To measure the pace of structural change, the compositional change index in value-added in manufacturing sector is introduced. For mid to long-term there seems to be a positive relationship between the pace of structural change and the magnitude of employment growth. In those countries with higher value of the compositional index, the employment growth in manufacturing sector was generally higher. To analyse the characteristics of structural change in manufacturing sector, this paper classifies manufacturing industries into groups: one based on technology, one on orientation, one on wages and one on skills. The international comparison of manufacturing sector's employment patterns based on above four classifications are presented. International comparison suggests that Korean manufacturing sector move into jobs with more skills and knowledge The structural change of SMEs and large firms are compared based on above four classification methods. It is shown that SMEs' employment in low value sectors, that is low-technology, labor-intensive, tow-wage, and unskilled sectors, have risen faster than SMEs' employment in high-technology, science-based, high-wage and skilled sectors. Large firms' employment have been mainly increased in high value sectors. However, the employment growth of both large and small firms have been concentrated on production worker-intensively-using sectors, i.e. unskilled sectors. This widened the wage differential of production workers by firm sizes and concurrently led to severe shortage of production workers for SMEs, which has little ability to pay high wage to production workers because they usually belong to low-wage sectors. Korea need to push SMEs forward to high value sectors. The premise of that is, however, to pull large firms out of production worker-intensively-using sectors.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.107-131
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• 2018

This paper presents a model for the Minimum Wage Commission's decision process and analyzes the strategic actions of the participants in the process. The Minimum Wage Commission has used two ways of setting the minimum wage. The commission has voted either on the labor's against the management' final proposals or has voted on the public interest commissioners' proposal. According to the model, the minimum wage is determined at a level that is very close to or at a level preferred by the median voter among the public interest commissioners. But the probability of adopting labor or management proposal is ex-ante the same. Empirical evidence from the minimum wage decision process is consistent with the predictions of the model. The probability of adopting the labor's proposal in the minimum wage commission voting is not statistically significantly different from 50%. The model also suggests that the preference of the median voter among public interest commissioners determines the minimum wage level. Since the government appoints public interest commissioners and thus, in fact, the median voters, the government can decide the minimum wage level. This proposition is also consistent with data. The annual growth rate of the minimum wage under the progressive governments is higher than under conservative governments.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.105-131
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• 2017

This study analyses the effect of a minimum wage on employment by using the government's progressiveness as an instrumental variable. The Ordinary Least Squares regression (OLS) can result in upward biased employment effect due to the endogeneity among variables. Therefore, it is necessary to analyse the casuality that removed endogeneity between variables by using proper instrumental variables. The analysis using instrumental variable shows that the growth of the increasing rate of the minimum wage reduces employment. The negative effect of employment depending on the increase of minimum wage corresponds with the predictions of Neoclassical Economics.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.29-60
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• 2005

This paper investigates how firms adjust wages, employment and hours in response to demand shifts. It focuses on rigidities and asymmetries in such adjustments. Major findings are as follows. First, wage adjustments are fairly small compared with worker adjustments. Second, wage adjustments are asymmetric with respect to sales growth: there is no responsiveness of wage growth when sales are declining, while adjustments are significantly positive when sales are rising. On the contrary, worker adjustments are symmetric with respect to demand shifts. Third, while workers are linearly adjusted to the sales growth, some nonlinearity is observed in the wage adjustment. Fourth, hours are generally nonresponsive to demand shocks. Finally, union firms cut wages rather than workers in the face of negative demand shocks.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.295-327
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• 2011

Although there are many studies on the retirement recently, very few studies have empirically addressed on mandatory retirement. In Korea, several scholars suggest that the seniority systems may be the main reason that employers have been reluctant to hire older workers. Therefore, the seniority system that Lazear(1979) proposed has significant implication on explaining mandatory retirement in Korea. Thus, this study aims to examine the seniority system that Lazear proposed can explain the retired employees' mandatory retirement. The empirical study is based on Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing. wave I-II. The main result from this analysis is that interaction between wage and job tenure on mandatory retirement is statistically significant. For employees with high wage growth rates, the probability of mandatory retirement rate is higher as their job tenure is longer. On the other hand those employees with wage growth rates, that is lower although their job tenure is longer. This study supports the assertion of Lazear(1979).

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.29-57
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• 2008

We construct a unique panel data by using Korean Economically Active Population Survey (KEAPS) from 2003 to 2007 to estimate the returns to different types of job mobility among men. By adopting Mincer(1986)'s method, we estimate the wage change to job mobility after controlling the sample selection bias. There are four different types of job mobility that are concerned in the study: (1) voluntary job-to-job changes without experiencing unemployment, (2) voluntary job changes with experiencing unemployment, (3) involuntary job changes due to layoffs, and (4) involuntary job changes due to discharges. Our findings indicate that Korean men who changed jobs without experiencing unemployment realized wage gains of 7% while those who changed jobs through unemployment period lost 10% of their wages. Among those who changed jobs involuntarily and went through unemployment, the workers who discharged from the previous jobs realized substantially greater wage loss.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.111-143
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• 2011

As the 'jobless growth' is developing into a worldwide phenomenon, many countries try to recover a virtuous relationship between the growth and employment using various wage subsidy programs. This study focuses on wage subsidy to employers, labor demand-side wage subsidy for which one can think of two types-a tax credit(a flat wage subsidy) and a social insurance premium exemption(a proportional wage subsidy). For job creation, Korean government reintroduced a tax credit to small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) which have increased their employment level in 2010. But many experts has continuously insisted that it should be replaced with a social insurance premium exemption arguing only a few SMEs benefit from the tax credit as most of them are actually not paying any corporate or general income tax bills. However, as the insurance premium exemption accompanies an increase in the amount of budget with the coverage widen, one cannot confirm its cost effectiveness over the tax credit. This paper aims to provide a theoretical analysis to derive some formal conditions under which a social insurance premium exemption creates more jobs than a tax credit does given a budget constraint. We show that the former's dominance over the latter depends on whether there exists a dead zone of social insurance or not. If there does not exist a dead zone, a social insurance premium exemption is more desirable in many cases, whereas one cannot guarantees its dominance over a tax credit if there exists a dead zone. Therefore in order to realize its dominance, the government should minimize a dead zone so that most SMEs effectively benefit from the insurance premium exemption. In addition, applying discriminative exemption rates which reflect each firm's job conditions such as wage level and labor demand/supply sensitivity, the government try to enhance job creation effect.