Economist doing research on technology, labor markets and the welfare state
Erling Barth is Research Professor at the Institute for Social Research in Oslo and Professor II at the Department of Economics, University of Oslo, affiliated with ESOP. His PhD is from the Department of Economics at the University of Oslo. He is Wertheim Fellow at the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard University, Research Economist at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) at Cambridge, MA, and Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labour, IZA, in Bonn.
His research interests include technological change and its effects on the labor market, the impact of labor market institutions, inequality and the wage structure, employment, the economics of the welfare state, gender wage differentials, immigration, ownership, labor mobility, and firms’ behavior.
He has been a member of the Executive Committee of the European Association of Labour Economists (EALE), co-editor of the Nordic Journal of Political Economy, of Søkelys på arbeidslivet (Spotlight on the Labor Market), and member of the international advisory board of the British Journal of Industrial Relations. He is co-author of a University-level textbook on Labor market economics in Norwegian.
His research has been published in numerous international high impact journals: the American Economic Review, Journal of the European Economic Association, the American Journal of Political Science, Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Labor Economics, Journal of Public Economics, Journal of Corporate Finance, Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Manchester School, Research in Labor Economics, International Journal of Manpower, and Kyklos among other places. See CV for a complete list.
Tags:
Working Life,
Gender Equality,
Media and the public sphere
Publications
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Barth, Erling; Kerr, Sari Pekkala & Olivetti, Claudia
(2021).
The dynamics of gender earnings differentials: Evidence from establishment data.
European Economic Review.
134.
doi:
10.1016/j.euroecorev.2021.103713.
Full text in Research Archive
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Despite dramatic workforce gains by women in recent decades, a substantial gender earnings gap persists and widens over the course of men’s and women’s careers. Since there are earnings differences across establishments, a key question is the extent to which the widening of the gender pay gap over time arises from differences in career advances within the same establishment versus differential gains from job-to-job moves across establishments. Using a unique match between the 2000 Decennial Census of the United States and the Longitudinal Employer Household Dynamics (LEHD) data, we find that both channels are important and affect workers differently by education. For the college-educated the increasing gap is for the most part due to differential earnings growth within establishment. The between-establishment component explains only 27 percent of the widening of the total gender pay gap for this group. For workers without college degree, the establishment component is the main driver of the, relatively small, widening of the gender earnings gap. For both education groups, marriage plays a crucial role in the establishment component of the increasing earnings gap.
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Barth, Erling & Østbakken, Kjersti Misje
(2021).
Fortsatt polarisering i det norske arbeidsmarkedet?
Søkelys på arbeidslivet.
38(1),
p. 23–40.
doi:
10.18261/issn.1504-7989-2021-01-02.
Full text in Research Archive
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Arbeidsmarkedene i vestlige land har blitt polarisert over tid ved at middelklasseyrker har blitt automatisert bort. Denne prosessen er tidligere også dokumentert i Norge. Ettersom automatiseringen og digitaliseringen har fortsatt å øke, undersøker vi i denne artikkelen om de polariserende tendensene fortsatt pågår. Ved å analysere norske registerdata for perioden 2004-2018 finner vi stadig økende etterspørsel i toppen av yrkesfordelingen, men ikke økt etterspørsel lengre ned i fordelingen. Oppgraderingen og økt etterspørsel i toppen av arbeidsmarkedet, fortsatt fall i etterspørselen på midten, dempes av at relative lønninger har økt på toppen og falt på bunnen.
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Barth, Erling; Moene, Karl Ove (Kalle) & Pedersen, Axel West
(2021).
Rising Inequality in the Egalitarian Nordics.
In Fischer, Georg & Strauss, Robert (Ed.),
Europe's Income, Wealth, Consumption, and Inequality.
Oxford University Press.
p. 219–246.
doi:
10.1093/oso/9780197545706.003.0006.
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Albæk, Karsten; Asplund, Rita; Barth, Erling; Lindahl, Lena; Strøm, Marte & Vanhala, Pekka
(2020).
Bedre sent enn aldri? Hvordan sen fullføring av videregående skole påvirker tidlig karriere.
Søkelys på arbeidslivet.
37(01-02),
p. 124–141.
doi:
10.18261/issn.1504-7989-2020-01-02-08.
Full text in Research Archive
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Får ungdom i Norden som fullfører videregående skole mellom 21 og 28 års alder bedre tilgang til arbeidsmarkedet enn de som ikke har fullført ved 28? Vi finner at de som har fullført innen 28 års alder, har 12-15 prosentpoeng lavere sannsynlighet for å være NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) enn de som ikke har fullført. Når vi kontrollerer for sosioøkonomisk bakgrunn og særlig for tidlige skole-til-arbeid overganger mellom 16 og 20 år forsvinner mye av forskjellene mellom land, men fortsatt gjenstår de fleste av forskjellene mellom de som fullfører sent og de som ikke fullfører.
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Barth, Erling; Bryson, Alex & Dale-Olsen, Harald
(2020).
Union Density Effects on Productivity and Wages.
Economic Journal.
130(631),
p. 1898–1936.
doi:
10.1093/ej/ueaa048.
Full text in Research Archive
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We exploit changes in tax subsidies for union members in Norway to identify the effects of changes in firm level
union density on productivity and wages. Increased deductions in taxable income for union members led to higher membership rates and contributed to a lower decline in union membership rates over time in Norway. Accounting for selection effects and the potential endogeneity of unionisation, the results show that increasing union density at the firm level leads to a substantial increase in both productivity and wages. The wage effect is larger in more productive firms, consistent with rent-sharing models.
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Barth, Erling; Keute, Anna Lene; Schøne, Pål; von Simson, Kristine & Steffensen, Kjartan
(2019).
NEET Status and Early versus Later Skills among Young Adults: Evidence from linked register-PIAAC data.
Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research.
doi:
10.1080/00313831.2019.1659403.
Full text in Research Archive
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Do skills protect against exclusion in adult ages, and how important are the skills acquired before the age of 16 years versus those acquired later on? We match the scores on numeracy and literacy skills from the 2011 PIAAC for young adults backwards to grade point average (GPA) data from compulsory school education, measured at the age of 16 years (GPA16), and forwards to employment and education register data 2 years after the PIAAC test. There is a high correlation between GPA16 and PIAAC scores even when controlling for parental background, health status, and completion of post-compulsory school education. Including both GPA16 and PIAAC scores in a model of the probability of NEET status 2 years after the PIAAC test shows three times as large differences associated with GPA16 scores than with PIAAC scores, even though the PIAAC test is taken closer in time than the GPA16 results.
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Barth, Erling; Davis, James Creece & Freeman, Richard
(2018).
Augmenting the Human Capital Earnings Equation With Measures of Where People Work.
Journal of Labor Economics.
36,
p. S71–S97.
doi:
10.1086/694187.
Full text in Research Archive
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We augment standard log earnings equations for workers in US manufacturing with variables reflecting measured and unmeasured attributes of their employer. Using panel employee-establishment data, we find that establishment-level employment, education of coworkers, capital equipment per worker, and firm-level R&D intensity affects earnings substantially. Unobserved characteristics of employers captured by employer fixed effects also contribute to the variance of log earnings, although less than unobserved characteristics of individuals captured by individual fixed effects. The observed and unobserved measures of employers mediate the effects of individual characteristics on earnings and increase earnings inequality through sorting of workers among establishments
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Goldin, Claudia; Kerr, Sari Pekkala; Olivetti, Claudia & Barth, Erling
(2017).
The Expanding Gender Earnings Gap: Evidence from the LEHD-2000 Census.
The American Economic Review.
107(5),
p. 110–114.
doi:
10.1257/aer.p20171065.
Full text in Research Archive
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Barth, Erling; Davis, James Creece; Freeman, Richard & Kerr, Sari Pekkala
(2017).
Weathering the Great Recession: Variation in Employment Responses, by Establishments and Countries.
The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences.
3(3),
p. 50–69.
doi:
10.7758/rsf.2017.3.3.03.
Full text in Research Archive
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This paper finds that U.S. employment changed differently relative to output in the Great Recession and recovery
than in most other advanced countries or in the United States in earlier recessions. Instead of hoarding
labor, U.S. firms reduced employment proportionately more than output in the Great Recession, with
establishments that survived the downturn contracting jobs massively. Diverging from the aggregate pattern,
U.S. manufacturers reduced employment less than output while the elasticity of employment to gross
output varied widely among establishments. In the recovery, growth of employment was dominated by job
creation in new establishments. The variegated responses of employment to output challenges extant models
of how enterprises adjust employment over the business cycle
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Barth, Erling & Moene, Karl Ove
(2017).
Reell eller Ideell Konkurranse.
Samfunnsøkonomen.
131(2),
p. 92–102.
Full text in Research Archive
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Konkurranse dreier seg ikke bare om priser og kostnader. Derfor kan ikke små åpne økonomier gjøre det bra ved bare å produsere det samme som andre land, på samme måte, men med
lavere kostnader. Den reelle konkurransen dreier seg om hva en skal gjøre og hvordan en skal gjøre det. Den dreier seg like mye om organisering, institusjoner og fordelingspolitikk som om nye metoder, nye teknologier og nye produkter. Troen på anbefalingene fra institusjonsfri
økonomisk teori kan stå i veien for den nødvendige institusjonelle oppfinnsomheten.
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Barth, Erling; Schøne, Pål & von Simson, Kristine
(2016).
Sammenhengen mellom ferdigheter fra ungdomsskolen og ferdigheter i PIAAC-undersøkelsen.
Søkelys på arbeidslivet.
33(4),
p. 349–359.
doi:
10.18261/issn.1504-7989-2016-04-04.
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Barth, Erling; Bryson, Alex; Davis, James C. & Freeman, Richard
(2016).
It's Where You Work: Increases in the Dispersion of Earnings across Establishments and Individuals in the United States.
Journal of Labor Economics.
34(2),
p. S67–S97.
doi:
10.1086/684045.
Show summary
This paper analyzes the role of establishments in the upward trend in dispersion of earnings that has become a central topic in economic analysis and policy debate. It decomposes changes in the variance of log earnings among individuals into the part due to changes in earnings among establishments and the part due to changes in earnings within establishments. The main finding is that much of the 1970s–2010s increase in earnings inequality results from increased dispersion of the earnings among the establishments where individuals work. Our results direct attention to the role of establishment-level pay setting and economic adjustments in earnings inequality.
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Barth, Erling & Moene, Karl Ove
(2016).
The Equality Multiplier: How Wage Compression and Welfare Empowerment Interact.
Journal of the European Economic Association.
14(5),
p. 1011–1037.
doi:
10.1111/jeea.12163.
Show summary
We explore how more wage equality fuels the generosity of the welfare state via political competition in elections, and how a more generous welfare state fuels wage equality via empowerment of weak groups in the labor market. Together the two mechanisms may generate a cumulative process that explains how equality multiplies, and why countries with more equal distributions of market outcomes also have stronger welfare states. The complementarity between wage setting and welfare spending can explain why almost equally rich countries differ so much in economic and social equality among their citizens.
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Barth, Erling; Moene, Karl Ove & Pedersen, Axel West
(2015).
Trygd og sysselsetting i et internasjonalt perspektiv.
In Bay, Ann-Helén; Hagelund, Anniken & Hatland, Aksel (Ed.),
For mange på trygd? : Velferdspolitiske spenninger.
Cappelen Damm Akademisk.
p. 153–170.
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Barth, Erling & Nergaard, Kristine
(2015).
Kollektive partsforhold: Status quo eller endring?
In Dale-Olsen, Harald (Eds.),
Norsk arbeidsliv i turbulente tider.
Gyldendal Akademisk.
p. 83–104.
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Barth, Erling; Bratsberg, Bernt & Raaum, Oddbjørn
(2015).
Prestasjonslønn i nye former.
In Dale-Olsen, Harald (Eds.),
Norsk arbeidsliv i turbulente tider.
Gyldendal Akademisk.
p. 121–136.
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Albæk, Karsten; Asplund, Rita; Barth, Erling; Lindahl, Lena & von Simson, Kristine
(2015).
Ungdomsarbeidsløshet i Norden.
Søkelys på arbeidslivet.
32(1-2),
p. 78–90.
Show summary
Denne artikkelen tar for seg ungdomsarbeidsløshet målt på flere måter. For det første spiller det en stor rolle om man regner arbeidsløsheten for ungdom i prosent av befolkningen eller i prosent av arbeidsstyrken. For det andre gjør det stor forskjell om man tar med blant de arbeidsløse ungdom som oppgir å ha skolegang eller studier som hovedaktivitet. De nordiske landene blir mer like og kommer langt bedre ut i en internasjonal sammenlikning om man trekker studenter ut av arbeidsløshetstallene. Artikkelen avslutter med en diskusjon av hvilke tall som bør benyttes til hvilke formål.
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Barth, Erling & Moene, Karl Ove
(2015).
Missing the Link? On the Political Economy of Nordic Egalitarianism.
In Andersen, Torben M.; Bergman, U. Michael & Hougaard Jensen, Svend E. (Ed.),
Reform Capacity and Macroeconomic Performance in the Nordic Countries.
Oxford University Press.
p. 50–68.
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Barth, Erling; Finseraas, Henning & Moene, Karl Ove
(2015).
Political Reinforcement: How Rising Inequality Curbs Manifested Welfare Generosity.
American Journal of Political Science (AJPS).
59(3),
p. 565–577.
doi:
10.1111/ajps.12129.
Full text in Research Archive
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We propose a political reinforcement hypothesis, suggesting that rising inequality moves party politics on welfare state issues to the right, strengthening rather than modifying the impact of inequality. We model policy platforms by incorporating ideology and opportunism of party members and interests and sympathies of voters. If welfare spending is a normal good within income classes, a majority of voters moves rightward when inequality increases. As a response, the left, in particular, shift their welfare policy platform toward less generosity. We find support for our arguments using data on the welfare policy platforms of political parties in 22 OECD countries.
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Barth, Erling; Hardoy, Ines; Schøne, Pål & Østbakken, Kjersti Misje
(2014).
Hva betyr høy yrkesdeltakelse for kjønnssegregering?
In Reisel , Liza & Teigen, Mari (Ed.),
Kjønnsdeling og etniske skiller på arbeidsmarkedet.
Gyldendal Akademisk.
p. 108–118.
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Barth, Erling & Moene, Karl Ove
(2014).
When Institutions Reciprocate: Turning European Social Models Around.
In Dølvik, Jon Erik & Martin, Andrew (Harvard CES) (Ed.),
European Social Models from Crisis to Crisis. Employment and Inequality in the Era of Monetary Integration.
Oxford University Press.
p. 306–324.
doi:
10.1093/acprof%3Aoso/9780198717966.003.0010.
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Albæk, Karsten; Asplund, Rita; Barth, Erling & von Simson, Kristine
(2014).
Early School leaving and Labour market prospects.
In Valkonen, Tarmo & Vihriälä, Vesa (Ed.),
The Nordic model - challenged but capable of reform.
Nordic Council of Ministers.
p. 235–259.
doi:
10.6027/TN2014-531.
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Barth, Erling; Moene, Karl Ove & Willumsen, Fredrik
(2014).
The Scandinavian model-An interpretation.
Journal of Public Economics.
117(Sept.),
p. 60–72.
doi:
10.1016/j.jpubeco.2014.04.001.
Full text in Research Archive
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The small open economies in Scandinavia have for long periods had high work effort, small wage differentials, high productivity, and a generous welfare state. To understand how this might be an economic and political equilibrium we combine models of collective wage bargaining, creative job destruction, and welfare spending. The two-tier system of wage bargaining provides microeconomic efficiency and wage compression. Combined with a vintage approach to the process of creative destruction we show how wage compression fuels investments, enhances average productivity and increases the mean wage by allocating more of the work force to the most modern activities. Finally, we show how the political support of welfare spending is fueled by both a higher mean wage and a lower wage dispersion.
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Barth, Erling & von Simson, Kristine
(2013).
Ulike veier gjennom videregående: Hva skjer de neste ti årene?
Søkelys på arbeidslivet.
30(4),
p. 313–333.
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Barth, Erling & Moene, Karl Ove
(2013).
Why do small open economies have such small wage differentials?
Nordic Economic Policy Review.
1,
p. 139–170.
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Barth, Erling & Moene, Karl Ove
(2012).
Employment as a Price or a Prize of Equality: A Descriptive Analysis.
Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies.
2(2),
p. 5–33.
doi:
10.19154/njwls.v2i2.2355.
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Barth, Erling; Bratsberg, Bernt; Hægeland, Torbjørn & Raaum, Oddbjørn
(2012).
Performance pay, union bargaining and within-firm wage inequality.
Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics.
74(3),
p. 327–362.
doi:
10.1111/j.1468-0084.2011.00656.x.
Show summary
Theory predicts that performance pay boosts wage dispersion. Workers retain a share of individual productivity shocks and high-efficiency workers receive compensation for greater effort. Collective bargaining can mitigate the effect of performance pay on wage inequality by easing monitoring of common effort standards and group-based pay schemes. Analyses of longitudinal employer–employee data show that the introduction of
performance-related pay raises wage inequality in non-union firms, but not in firms with high union density. Although performance-related pay appears to be on the rise, the overall impact on wage dispersion is likely to be small, particularly in European countries with influential unions.
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Barth, Erling; Asplund, Rita; Lundborg, Per & Nilsen, Kjersti Misje
(2011).
Polarization of the Nordic Labour Markets.
Finnish economic papers.
24(2),
p. 87–110.
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Barth, Erling
(2010).
Den Norske Likelønnskommisjonen og Lønnsdannelsen i Offentlig Sektor.
Samfundsøkonomen.
p. 38–43.
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Barth, Erling
(2010).
Ligeløn : Analyser og tiltag.
In Deding, Mette & Holt, Helle (Ed.),
Hvorfor har vi lønforskelle mellem kvinder og mænd? : En antologi om ligeløn i Danmark.
SFI-Det nationale forskningscenter for velfærd.
p. 219–237.
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Barth, Erling & Moene, Karl Ove
(2010).
Små lønnsforskjeller og store velferdsstater :.
Søkelys på arbeidslivet.
27(1/2),
p. 77–86.
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Moene, Karl Ove; Mehlum, Halvor; Barth, Erling; Lind, Jo Thori & Krüger, Ingrid
(2009).
Den skandinaviske modellen og økonomisk ulikhet.
In Cappelen, Ådne (Eds.),
Fordelingsutvalget.
Finansdepartementet.
p. 328–351.
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Barth, Erling & Moene, Karl Ove
(2009).
The Equality Mulitplier.
NBER technical working paper series.
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Barth, Erling; Bratsberg, Bernt; Hægeland, Torbjørn & Raaum, Oddbjørn
(2008).
Who Pays for Performance?
International journal of manpower.
29(1),
p. 8–29.
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Barth, Erling & Ringdal, Kristen
(2005).
Fleksibel arbeidsorganisering 1997 – 2003.
In Torp, Hege (Eds.),
Nytt arbeidsliv. Medvirkning, inkludering og belønning.
Gyldendal Akademisk.
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Barth, Erling; Gulbrandsen, Trygve Jens & Schøne, Pål
(2005).
"Family ownership and productivity. The role of owner-management".
Journal of Corporate Finance.
11(1-2),
p. 107–127.
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Barth, Erling; Gulbrandsen, Trygve Jens & Schøne, Pål
(2002).
Familieeierskap og produktivitet.
Søkelys på arbeidslivet.
2002(19).
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Asplund, Rita; Barth, Erling; Grand, Carl le ; Mastekaasa, Arne & Westergård-Nielsen, Niels
(1996).
Wage distribution across individuals.
In Wadensjö, Eskil (Eds.),
The Nordic Labour Markets in the 1990's.
North-Holland, Amsterdam.
p. 9–53.
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Barth, Erling & Mastekaasa, Arne
(1996).
Decomposing the male-female wage gap. Within and between establishment differences.
Labour (St. Catharines).
10(2),
p. 339–356.
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Barth, Erling & Zweimüller, Josef
(1995).
Relative Wages under Decentralized and Corporatist Bargaining Systems.
The Scandinavian Journal of Economics.
97(3),
p. 369–384.
Show summary
In studying the relationship between wage inequality and centralization in collective bargaining, the authors distinguish central from local systems of wage determination by assuming that a central union takes the employment effects of negotiated wages into account, whereas unions disregard these effects in decentralized systems. Two different sources of wage differentials are studied separately: (1) heterogeneous workers with different skills and (2) heterogeneous firms with varying levels of economic rent per employee. With respect to skill levels, the impact of centralization is ambiguous, whereas interfirm wage differentials are likely to be lower in corporatist systems.
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Barth, Erling; Dale-Olsen, Harald; Schøne, Pål & Østbakken, Kjersti Misje
(2021).
Chutes and ladders? Job Opportunities for Generation Covid
.
IZA Institute of labor economics.
Show summary
With a focus on jobs for youth, this paper analyses the development of job postings in Norway during the first and second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Jobs for youth are defined by the top 20 3-digit occupations for young workers. Job postings in these occupations took a larger hit than other jobs. We also identify the top 20 occupations for entrants right after completed highest education. Separate analyses by education reveal that entry jobs for young people with lower education declined the most during the pandemic. Using a difference in difference framework with 2018 and 2019 as reference years, we show that the decline started before “lock-down” policies were in place, but that the decline was even larger during the lock-down. Concurrent with re-opening phases in the economy, job posting rates improved, but did not reach the levels comparable to those in 2018 and 2019.
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Barth, Erling; Finseraas, Henning; Kjelsrud, Anders Grøn & Moene, Karl Ove (Kalle)
(2021).
Does the Rise of China Lead to the Fall of European Welfare States?
IZA Institute of Labor Economics.
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Barth, Erling; Davis, James Creece; Freeman, Richard B. & McElheran, Kristina
(2020).
Twisting the Demand Curve: Digitalization and the Older Workforce .
NBER.
Show summary
This paper uses U.S. Census Bureau panel data that link firm software investment to worker earnings. We regress the log of earnings of workers by age group on the software investment by their employing firm. To unpack the potential causal factors for differential software effects by
age group we extend the AKM framework by including job-spell fixed effects that allow for a correlation between the worker-firm match and age and by including time-varying firm effects that allow for a correlation between wage-enhancing productivity shocks and software investments. Within job-spell, software capital raises earnings at a rate that declines post age 50 to about zero after age 65. By contrast, the effects of non-IT equipment investment on earnings increase for workers post age 50. The difference between the software and non-IT equipment effects suggests that our results are attributable to the technology rather than to age-related bargaining power. Our data further show that software capital increases the earnings of highwage workers relative to low-wage workers and the earnings in high-wage firms relative to lowwage firms, and may thus widen earnings inequality within and across firms
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Criscuolo, Chiara; Hijzen, Alexander; Schwellnus, Cyrille; Barth, Erling; Fabling, Richard & Fialho, Priscilla
[Show all 10 contributors for this article]
(2020).
Workforce composition, productivity and pay: the role of firms in wage inequality.
OECD.
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Barth, Erling; Røed, Marianne; Schøne, Pål & Umblijs, Janis
(2020).
How Robots Change Within-Firm Wage Inequality.
IZA Institute of Labor Economics.
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Albæk, Karsten; Asplund, Rita; Barth, Erling; Lindahl, Lena; Strøm, Marte & Vanhala, Pekka
(2019).
Better Late than Never? How Late Completion Affects the Early Career of Dropouts.
IZA Institute of Labor Economics.
2019(12560).
Show summary
Across the OECD countries, dropouts from upper secondary schooling fare worse in the labor market, with higher NEET rates more spells of unemployment and lower earnings. Among the dropouts, there are however significant shares who complete at a later age. In this paper, we thus ask the question: Does it pay for young adults who do not complete upper secondary schooling by the age of 21, to do so at some point during the subsequent 7 years, that is, before turning 28? In all four Nordic countries under scrutiny, we find that late completion lowers the probability of being outside employment, education or training (NEET) at age 28. Moreover, the exact age of completion does not seem to matter. Our estimates are robust to the inclusion of extensive controls for socioeconomic background and early schooling paths, and similar to the ones produced by event history analysis with individual fixed effects. This indicates that late completion of upper secondary schooling plays an important role for the labor market inclusion of young dropouts.
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Dale-Olsen, Harald; Strøm, Marte; Østbakken, Kjersti Misje & Barth, Erling
(2018).
Avtaleformer, lønnsvekst og lønnsspredning.
Institutt for samfunnsforskning.
Full text in Research Archive
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I denne rapporten ser vi nærmere på utviklingen i avtaleformer, lønnsvekst og lønnsspredning gjennom en litteraturgjennomgang og gjennom å anvende data fra Norge i perioden 1997 til 2014. Vi anvender data fra Lønnsstatistikken, fra populasjonsomfattende registerdata (sammenkobling av Aa-registeret og LTO-registeret) og fra virksomhetsbaserte spørreundersøkelser (ABU 1997/2003/2012).
Vi finner at kun mindre endringer i avtalesystemet i Norge har funnet sted i senere tid, og kontinuitet preger norsk økonomi i så måte. Dog skal det sies at i både privat og offentlig sektor skjedde det viktige endringer på 90-tallet og begynnelsen av 2000-tallet, som innebar en viss desentralisering. Mønstrene blir mindre klare på 2000-tallet for de fleste private næringer.
Våre undersøkelser viser at lønnsspredningen øker i perioden. Denne utviklingen deler vi med de fleste industrialiserte land. Vi viser samtidig at det ikke nødvendigvis er slik at lønnsspredningen er større på områder med stor grad av lokal lønnsdannelse, eller at veksten i lønnsspredning er størst på de områdene som har en tydeligere desentralisering av lønnsdannelsen. Dekomponeringen av lønnsspredningen viser dog at lønnsforskjellene er større mellom virksomheter enn de er innad i virksomheter.
Vi finner at virksomheter hvor lønnen kun fastsettes gjennom lokale forhandlinger, har noe høyere lønn i gjennomsnitt enn virksomheter hvor lønnen fastsettes sentralt, men hvor lokale lønnsforhandlinger kommer som et supplement. På toppen av lønnshierarkiet er forskjellen enda større, men på bunnen er den lik. Individuell lønnsfastsettelse er uansett om en betrakter bunnen, gjennomsnittet eller toppen, assosiert med klart høyere lønn.
Individuelle lønnsavtaler er også assosiert med høyere lønnsspredning generelt, og da særlig på toppen av lønnsfordelingen. Men dette kan langt på vei forklares med marked, eierskap og lokale forhold. Både for kvinner og menn vil lokal lønnsdannelse og individuell lønnsfastsettelse være assosiert med høyere lønn, også innad i næringer, men lønnsforskjellene mellom kvinner og menn innad i næringer blir ikke påvirket av avtaleformene. Vi finner heller ikke støtte for antakelsen om at høy lønnsspredning er nødvendig for å oppnå høy lønnsvekst.
Lønnsoppgjørene ser ut til å følge konjunkturutviklingen tett. Det ser i litt mindre grad ut til at de gjennomsnittlige tilleggene følger konjunkturene i offentlig sektor. Vi finner, over hele lønnsfordelingen, en negativ sammenheng mellom sentrale tillegg og lokale tillegg. De sentrale tilleggene blir imidlertid ikke fullstendig kompensert lokalt. Det betyr at størrelsen på de sentrale oppgjørene er styrende for størrelsen på lønnsveksten over hele inntektsfordelingen, selv om det ikke er krone for krone. Vi fant at sentrale tillegg demper lønnsspredningen, særlig på bunnen, og spesielt for funksjonærer. Samtidig så vi at lønnsspredningen dempes mest for kvinner, og særlig for ikke-funksjonærer. Selv om vi avdekker en dempende sammenheng mellom de sentrale tilleggene og lønnsspredningen, så er denne sammenhengen svak. Det er veldig mye annet som er viktig for lønnsspredningen i Norge. I et likelønnsperspektiv er det viktig å være klar over at det lønnsutjevnende elementet i de faste tilleggene slik disse er utformet i dag, ikke er spesielt viktig som virkemiddel for å oppnå likelønn.
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Barth, Erling; Kerr, Sari Pekkala & Olivetti, Claudia
(2017).
The Dynamics of Gender Earnings Differentials: Evidence from Establishment Data.
NBER Working Paper # 23381.
Show summary
We use a unique match between the 2000 Decennial Census of the United States and the Longitudinal Employer Household Dynamics (LEHD) data to analyze how much of the increase in the gender earnings gap over the lifecycle comes from shifts in the sorting of men and women across high- and low-pay establishments and how much is due to differential earnings growth within establishments. We find that for the college educated the increase is substantial and, for the most part, due to differential earnings growth within establishment by gender. The between component is also important. Differential mobility between establishments by gender can explain 27 percent of the widening of the pay gap for this group. For those with no college, the, relatively small, increase of the gender gap over the lifecycle can be fully explained by differential moves by gender across establishments. The evidence suggests that, for both education groups, the between-establishment component of the increasing wage gap is due almost entirely to those who are married.
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Barth, Erling; Davis, James Creece & Freeman, Richard
(2016).
Augmenting the Human Capital Earnings Equation with Measures of Where People Work.
NBER Working Paper #22512.
Show summary
We augment standard ln earnings equations with variables reflecting unmeasured attributes of workers and measured and unmeasured attributes of their employer. Using panel employee-establishment data for US manufacturing we find that the observable employer characteristics that most impact earnings are: number of workers, education of co-workers, capital Equipment per worker, industry in which the establishment produces, and R&D intensity of the firm.
Employer fixed effects also contribute to the variance of ln earnings, though substantially less than individual fixed effects. In addition to accounting for some of the variance in earnings, the observed and unobserved measures of employers mediate the estimated effects of individual
characteristics on earnings and increasing earnings inequality through the sorting of workers among establishments.
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Barth, Erling; Davis, James C.; Freeman, Richard & Kerr, Sari Pekkala
(2016).
Weathering the Great Recession: Variation in Employment Responses by Establishments and Countries.
NBER Working Paper #22432.
Show summary
This paper finds that US employment changed differently relative to output in the Great Recession and recovery than in most other advanced countries or in the US in earlier recessions. Instead of hoarding labor, US firms reduced employment proportionately more than output in the
Great Recession, with establishments that survived the downturn contracting jobs massively. Diverging from the aggregate pattern, US manufacturers reduced employment less than output while the elasticity of employment to gross output varied widely among establishments. In the
recovery, growth of employment was dominated by job creation in new establishments. The variegated responses of employment to output challenges extant models of how enterprises adjust employment over the business cycle.
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Barth, Erling; Jon Marius, Vaag Iversen; Schøne, Pål; von Simson, Kristine & Strøm, Bjarne
(2016).
Skills and labour market attachment for vulnerable groups.
Institutt for samfunnsforskning.
Full text in Research Archive
Show summary
The Importance of different types of skills for entering the labor market has gained increased attention in recent years, both among policy makers and researchers. There is also good evidence that the demand for highly skilled people has increased in recent decades, and that this in some countries has led to greater wage inequality between high and low-skilled workers. There is evidence that rapid technological change is an important mechanism behind this trend in demand for labor. A challenge for most industrialized countries is how in times of rapid technological change and increased demands for expertise also manages to include people with lower qualifications. Figures from the OECD’s PIAAC survey, for both Norway and other countries show that labour market participation is significantly lower for people who have weak skills. In this report, we use PIAAC survey to study the relationship between skills, different indicators of vulnerability, and labor market participation. Our main measure on vulnerability is self-reported measure of health. We find that both health and skills have an impact on labor market participation. In an analysis in which we attempt to quantify the relative importance of health and skills, the results suggest that health is more important than skills.
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Barth, Erling; Albæk, Karsten; Asplund, Rita; Lindahl, Lena; von Simson, Kristine & Vanhala, Pekka
(2015).
Youth Unemployment and Inactivity. A comparison of School to work transitions and Labour market outcomes in four Nordic countries.
Nordic Council of Ministers.
2015(548).
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Strøm, Marte; Barth, Erling & Schøne, Pål
(2014).
Er lønnsgapet mellom kvinner og men i ferd med å lukkes?
NOU 2015:6, Arbeids- og sosialdepartementet.
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Barth, Erling; Bryson, Alex; Davis, James C. & Freeman, Richard
(2014).
It's Where You Work: Increases in Earnings Dispersion across Establishments and Individuals in the U.S.
NBER Working Paper #20447.
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Barth, Erling; Hardoy, Ines; Schøne, Pål & Østbakken, Kjersti Misje
(2013).
Lønnsforskjeller mellom kvinner og menn : Hva har skjedd på 2000-tallet?
Institutt for samfunnsforskning.
Full text in Research Archive
Show summary
At kvinner tjener mindre enn menn er et gjennomgående funn. I denne rapporten studerer vi timelønnsutviklingen for kvinner og menn i perioden 2002-2011. Vi analyserer betydningen av kjønnssegregering på næring og yrke, betydningen av utdanningsnivå, sammenhengen mellom timelønn og alder, og vi analyserer sammenhengen mellom barn og timelønn separat for kvinner og menn. I tillegg analyserer vi inntektsforskjeller der vi også inkluderer personer som ikke er aktive på arbeidsmarkedet.
Resultatene viser en svak tilnærming mellom kvinners og menns timelønn. Den ujusterte gjennomsnittlige timelønnsforskjellen har falt fra 14,2 prosent til 12,7 prosent i perioden 2002-2011. Når vi sammenligner kvinner og menn som jobber i samme yrke innen samme næring er lønnsgapet på 7,1 prosent i 2011. Dette viser at timelønnsforskjellen henger sammen med det kjønnssegregerte arbeidsmarkedet. Likevel eksisterer det et ikke ubetydelig lønnsgap, selv etter kontroll for detaljert næring og yrke.
Timelønnsforskjellene mellom kvinner og menn vokser tidlig i karrieren for de yngste kohortene, mens vi ser en viss tilnærming mot slutten av karrieren for de eldste. Sammenhengen mellom barn og timelønn er generelt negativ for kvinner, mens den er positiv for menn. Over tid ser vi at den negative sammenhengen mellom timelønn og barn blir svakere.
Inntektsanalysene våre viser at menn har mest kapitalinntekter som bidrar til økte inntektsforskjeller, kvinner har mest offentlige overføringer som bidrar til en reduksjon i forskjellene, mens skatt har en omfordelende effekt og gir mindre inntektsforskjeller. Vi finner også at når vi kontrollerer for forskjeller i utdanning og erfaring, er inntektsforskjellene større innen familie enn mellom tilfeldig valgte kvinner og menn, noe som indikerer en viss form for spesialisering innad i husholdningen.
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Barth, Erling; Cappelen, Alexander Wright & Ognedal, Tone
(2013).
Fair tax evasion.
Institutt for samfunnsøkonomi, Norges Handelshøyskole.
Show summary
In this paper we analyse how fairness considerations, in particular considerations of just income distribution, affect whether or not people find tax evasion justifiable and their willingness to evade taxes. Using data from the Norwegian “Hidden Labour Market Survey” we show that individuals with low hourly wages and long working hours have a higher probability of justifying tax evasion. These are individuals that arguably are treated unfairly in a tax system that taxes an individual’s total income without taking into account how many hours the individual has worked. The same individuals are also more willing and likely to take home income without reporting it to the tax authorities. The results are consistent with a model in which individuals make a trade-off between economic gains and fairness considerations when they make decisions about tax evasion. Taken together our results suggest that considerations of fair income distribution are important for the analysis of tax evasion.
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Barth, Erling & Moene, Karl Ove
(2012).
The Equality Multiplier: How Wage Setting and Welfare Spending Make Similar Countries Diverge".
IZA .
2012(6494).
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Ognedal, Tone; Barth, Erling & Cappelen, Alexander Wright
(2008).
Norms and Tax Evasion.
Stiftelsen Frischsenteret for samfunnsøkonomisk forskning.
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Barth, Erling & Schøne, Pål
(2006).
Nyere emner i arbeidsmarkedsøkonomien.
Institutt for samfunnsforskning.
Full text in Research Archive
Show summary
I denne rapporten tar vi for oss en del nyere emner innenfor arbeidsmarkedsøkonomien. Formålet er å gi en innføring for ikke-spesialister. Vi tar for oss en del temaer som har preget den faglige debatten de seneste ti årene. Temaene som diskuteres er blant annet grunnlagsproblemer som utviklingen innenfor atferdsøkonomi og institusjonell økonomi. Vi tar videre for oss modeller for friksjoner i arbeidsmarkedet. Disse modellene er blant annet inspirert av de store brutto-strømmene man observerer på samme tid i arbeidsmarkedet: selv bedrifter som innskrenker, ansetter folk, og strømmen ut og inn av ledighet er formidabel, selv når nivået er nær uforandret. Friksjonsmodellene inkluderer monopsonimodeller, som har stor betydning innenfor debatten om minstelønninger, og matching modeller som har stor betydning for diskusjonen rundt den aktive arbeidsmarkedspolitikken. Rapporten tar også for seg utviklingen av ulike insentiver og belønningssystemer den senere tiden. Vi tar også en tur innom den pågående debatten omkring utviklingen av lønnsforskjeller i Europa og USA. Avslutningsvis tar vi for oss opplæring på jobben, og arbeidstilbudet blant personer med lav inntekt, temaer som er politisk svært aktuelle i Norge. Vårt håp er at smakebitene kan inspirere til videre lesning.
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Barth, Erling; Cappelen, Alexander & Ognedal, Tone
(2005).
Fair Tax Evasion.
Statistisk sentralbyrå.
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Barth, Erling; Røed, Marianne & Schøne, Pål
(2004).
Lønnsutviklingen for funksjonærer i offentlig og privat sektor 1997–2001.
Institutt for samfunnsforskning.
Full text in Research Archive
Show summary
I denne rapporten sammenliknes lønnsutviklingen for funksjonærer i industrien og funksjonærer i statlig sektor. Analyseperioden er 1997-2001. Nivået på gjennomsnittslønnen for funksjonærer i staten er lavere enn nivået på gjennomsnittslønnen for funksjonærer i industrien. I 2001 har gjennomsnittsfunksjonæren i staten ca 17 prosent lavere månedsfortjeneste enn gjennomsnittsfunksjonæren i industrien. Lønnsforskjellen mellom funksjonærer i staten og funksjonærer i industrien er høyere ved kontrollering for observerte forskjeller mellom gruppene (netto lønnsgapet). Ved å kontrollere for observerte kjennetegn sammenlignes mer like funksjonærer, det vil si funksjonærer med samme kjønn, samme yrkeserfaring, samme utdanningsnivå, samme ansiennitetslengde, men ulik sektortilhørighet (stat versus industri). At funksjonærer i staten har lavere lønn enn funksjonærer i industrien skyldes med andre ord ikke at funksjonærer i staten har lavere utdanningsnivå, tvert i mot, de har høyere utdanningsnivå, og når vi kontrollerer for det, finner vi større lønnsforskjeller. Lønnsforskjellen mellom de to funksjonærgruppene øker med utdanningsnivå. Lønnsforskjellen er med andre ord størst for dem med høyest utdanning.Funksjonærer i industrien har hatt noe høyere lønnsvekst i perioden 1997-2001 enn funksjonærer i staten. Akkumulert lønnsvekst for funksjonærer i industrien er 24,5 prosent. Akkumulert lønnsvekst for funksjonærer i staten er 21,1 prosent. Høyest lønnsvekst finnes hos funksjonærer i industrien med lang utdanning.
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Barth, Erling; Røed, Marianne; Schøne, Pål & Torp, Hege
(2004).
Arbeidsmarkedet for akademikere.
Institutt for samfunnsforskning.
Full text in Research Archive
Show summary
Andelen av alle sysselsatte med akademisk utdanning har økt med 60 prosent i løpet av de siste 10 årene. 27 prosent av økningen kan forklares ved endringer i næringsstrukturen, mens hele 73 prosent kan forklares ved økt bruk av akademisk arbeidskraft innenfor hver enkelt næring og virksomhet. Mesteparten av økningen er med andre ord et resultat av teknologiske endringer. Veksten i bruk av akademisk arbeidskraft er størst innenfor bransjer som allerede er utdanningsintensive: forretningsmessig tjenesteyting, offentlig administrasjon, utvinning av olje og gass. Veksten er minst innenfor bransjer som i utgangspunktet bruker lite akademisk arbeidskraft: diverse industribransjer, bygg og anlegg. Yrkesaktiviteten blant akademikere er høy og arbeidsløsheten er lav. For personer med lavere utdanning er yrkesaktiviteten avtakende etter fylte 40 år. For personer med universitets- og høgskoleutdanning holder yrkesaktiviteten seg høy helt fram til 65 år. Lønnsmessig avkastning av utdanning er lavere i Norge enn i de fleste andre vestlige industriland. De siste 10 årene har imidlertid akademikerne hatt en sterkere lønnsvekst enn arbeidstakere med lavere utdanning. En utvidelse av EU mot øst og syd vil kunne gi økt arbeidsinnvandring til Norge. For akademikerne i de nye medlemslandene vil trolig andre land i Europa være mer attraktive enn Norge, både når det gjelder språk og kultur- og lønnsforhold.
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Barth, Erling; Bratsberg, Bernt; Naylor, Robin A. & Raaum, Oddbjørn
(2002).
Explaining variations in wage curves. Theory and evidence.
Økonomisk institutt, UiO.
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Barth, Erling; Bratsberg, Bernt & Raaum, Oddbjørn
(2002).
Local unemployment and the earnings assimilation of immigrants in Norway.
Økonomisk institutt, UiO.
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Barth, Erling; Bratsberg, Bernt & Raaum, Oddbjørn
(2002).
Local unemployment and the relative wages of immigrants. Evidence from the current population surveys.
Økonomisk institutt, UiO.
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Torp, Hege & Barth, Erling
(2001).
Actual and Preferred Working Time : Regulations, incentives and the present debate on working time in Norway.
Institutt for samfunnsforskning.
Full text in Research Archive
View all works in Cristin
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Barth, Erling; Dale-Olsen, Harald; Schøne, Pål & Østbakken, Kjersti Misje
(2021).
Chutes and ladders? Job Opportunities for Generation Covid.
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Barth, Erling; Dale-Olsen, Harald & Schøne, Pål
(2021).
Chutes and ladders? Job Opportunities for Generation Covid.
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Barth, Erling; Schøne, Pål; Dale-Olsen, Harald & Østbakken, Kjersti Misje
(2021).
The rise and fall - labor demand during COVID-19.
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Reisel, Liza; Østbakken, Kjersti Misje & Barth, Erling
(2019).
The Equality Hurdle: Resolving the Welfare State Paradox of Gender Segregation.
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Østbakken, Kjersti Misje; Reisel, Liza & Barth, Erling
(2019).
Økt likestilling = mer frihet = mer likestilling i arbeidslivet. Likestillingsparadoksets død?
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Barth, Erling; Keute, Anna Lena; Schøne, Pål; von Simson, Kristine & Steffensen, Kjartan
(2018).
The Importance of Early and Later Skills among Youth: Evidence from Linked Register-PIAAC data.
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Barth, Erling; Keute, Anna Lena; Schøne, Pål; von Simson, Kristine & Steffensen, Kjartan
(2018).
The Importance of Early and Later Skills among Youth: Evidence from Linked Register-PIAAC data .
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Reisel, Liza; Østbakken, Kjersti Misje; Barth, Erling; Schøne, Pål & Hardoy, Ines
(2017).
Occupational Segregation in Europe - Dissentangling the Role of Paid and Unpaid Work.
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Barth, Erling & Moene, Karl Ove
(2015).
Likhetsmultiplikatoren: Lønn og politikk i velferdsstaten.
Samfunnsøkonomen.
p. 58–59.
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Dale-Olsen, Harald; Bryson, Alex & Barth, Erling
(2015).
Do Unions Kill Innovation?
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Barth, Erling; Schøne, Pål & Østbakken, Kjersti Misje
(2014).
Hva betyr kjønnssegregering for lønn?
In Reisel , Liza & Teigen, Mari (Ed.),
Kjønnsdeling og etniske skiller på arbeidsmarkedet.
Gyldendal Akademisk.
p. 205–232.
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Finseraas, Henning; Barth, Erling; Moene, Karl Ove & Østbakken, Kjersti Misje
(2014).
Insurance or redistribution motives? Behaviors and beliefs in the welfare state.
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Barth, Erling
(2012).
Snur trenden for europeiske velferdsstater?
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Barth, Erling & von Simson, Kristine
(2012).
Ungdomsarbeidsledighet og konjunkturer.
Økonomiske analyser.
p. 38–45.
Full text in Research Archive
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Barth, Erling; Gulbrandsen, Trygve Jens & Schøne, Pål
(2002).
Family ownership and productivity The role of owner-management.
View all works in Cristin
Published May 19, 2017 4:33 PM
- Last modified June 23, 2020 2:06 PM
