Harald Dale-Olsen

• Dale-Olsen, Harald & Svarstad, Elin Wårstulen (2026). Strike, Wage Bargaining and the Cost of Conflict. Labour. doi: 10.1111/labr.70022. Full text in Research Archive
• Barth, Erling; Dale-Olsen, Harald; Østbakken, Kjersti Misje & Schøne, Pål (2026). Vil den grønne omstillingen fremme innovasjonsaktiviteten i norske foretak? Søkelys på arbeidslivet. 43(1), p. 21–21. doi: 10.18261/spa.43.1.2. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Norsk økonomi er i en grønn omstilling. I en omskiftelig verden er det viktig for norske foretak å være innovative. I denne studien stiller vi spørsmålet om foretak som sysselsetter en høy andel personer i grønne yrker, er mer innovative enn andre foretak. Vi besvarer det ved hjelp av populasjonsdekkende administrative registerdata for perioden 2003–2020 koplet til Digitalisering, organisering og teknologi 2020, en storskala-spørreundersøkelse om digitalisering og innovasjonsaktiviteter i privat sektor. Basert på flere yrkesindekser for grønnhet og forurensning viser vi at andelen sysselsatt i grønne yrker øker svakt, mens andelen sysselsatt i klart forurensende yrker avtar noe i perioden. Når vi studerer foretakenes innovasjonsaktiviteter, finner vi at foretak med fremvoksende grønne yrker er klart mer innovative enn andre foretak, både når det gjelder produktinnovasjoner, når det gjelder prosessinnovasjoner, og når det gjelder teknologiske innovasjoner. Foretak med forurensende yrker er derimot klart mindre innovative. Alt i alt viser dette at den grønne omstillingen henger sammen med økt innovasjonsaktivitet i norske foretak.

• Barth, Erling; Bryson, Alex & Dale-Olsen, Harald (2025). Creative disruption: technology innovations during unexpected turmoil. Economica. doi: 10.1111/ecca.70025. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2025). Technological development, market power and (the role of) unions. Nordic Economic Policy Review. Nord2025(1), p. 156–185. doi: https:/pub.norden.org/nord2025-001/technological-development-market-power-and-the-role-of-unions.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Trade unions appear to affect the labour market quite differently in Scandinavia (Norway) than in the United States. In the U.S., their impact on the labour market when they establish a power base is highly contested, and many causal studies identify only minor effects. Senior and key workers appear to leave unionised firms, and innovative activity drops. In Norway, the benefits associated with unions are clear in certain sectors but less so in others. In manufacturing sectors, where collective bargaining agreements are common, unions raise wages and productivity but have a greater impact on productivity. Across all sectors, unions raise wages, particularly for low-paid workers and help reduce inequality in concentrated markets, thus ameliorating a market failure caused by the employers’ market power. Unions lead to fewer calls on social security benefits in the long run. They stimulate product innovation but make less of a contribution to labour-saving technologies. Unions appear less interested in promoting new technology in service sectors.

• Barth, Erling; Bryson, Alex & Dale-Olsen, Harald (2025). Turning non-members into members: Do public subsidies to union membership matter? Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. 229. doi: 10.1016/j.jebo.2024.106855. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Using linked employer-employee data for Norway’s private sector we estimate the impact of changes in tax subsidies for union membership on individuals’ membership probabilities. Increased subsidisation of the union members increases union take-up, while increased union fees reduce the demand for membership. The subsidy elasticity of demand for union membership was 0.29 in 2012, though effects are heterogeneous across workers. In the absence of the hikes in tax subsidies and holding workforce composition constant aggregate private sector union membership density would have fallen by 5 percentage points between 2001 and 2012. The elasticity of union membership with respect to subsidies is higher in segments of the labour market where unions have low representation in the first place, such as among temporary workers, youth, immigrants, and among workers in low-wage firms.

• Bryson, Alex & Dale-Olsen, Harald (2025). Job search under changing labour taxes. Labour Economics. doi: 10.1016/j.labeco.2025.102750. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Workers’ job mobility decisions are related to firms’ wage policies but also depend on tax schedules. Using Norwegian population-wide administrative linked employer-employee data for 2010-2019, we study how the job-to-job turnover of employees is affected by marginal taxes and firms’ pay policies, thus drawing inferences on job search behaviour. By paying higher wages, job-to-job separation rates drop, but this negative relationship is weakened when income taxes increase, consistent with higher taxes reducing search activity. However, consistent with theory, the tax effect is smaller where workers receive performance bonuses.

• Barth, Erling; Dale-Olsen, Harald; Schøne, Pål & Østbakken, Kjersti Misje (2024). Chutes and Ladders? Job Opportunities for Generation Covid. Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies. doi: 10.18291/njwls.149979. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Focusing on jobs for youth, this study analyzes the development of job postings in Norway during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Jobs for youth are defined by the top 20 three-digit occupations for young workers, and postings for these occupations took a heavier hit than other jobs during the pandemic. We also identify the top 20 occupations for entrants immediately after completing their highest education to reveal that, during the pandemic, entry jobs for young people with lower education declined the most. Using 2018 and 2019 as reference years, we show that the decline started before ‘lockdown’ policies were in place but worsened during the lockdown. As the economy reopened, job posting rates improved but did not reach the 2018 and 2019 levels.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald & Østbakken, Kjersti Misje (2023). Økonomisk gevinst av fagorganisering på toppen av akademia? – En empirisk analyse av lønnsdannelsen blant professorer. Søkelys på arbeidslivet. 40(3), p. 1–21. doi: 10.18261/spa.40.3.1. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I denne artikkelen studerer vi hvordan lønnsinntekten til professorer i universitets- og høyskolesektoren blir direkte påvirket av det norske lønnsdannelsessystemets kollektive innretning, med særlig fokus på om organisering virker utjevnende. Vi anvender registerdata over lønnsinntekt blant professorer i perioden 2004–2018. Vi finner at medlemskap i fagforeninger for professorer stort sett er korrelert med høyere lønnsinntekt, fra tre til åtte prosent, sammenlignet med ikke-organiserte. Lønnsinntekten til professorer stiger over tid ved innmelding i fagforening, mens den faller over tid ved utmelding. Bildet er mer uklart når det gjelder spørsmålet om organisering reduserer lønnsforskjeller mellom grupper av professorer. Det er i tillegg klare forskjeller mellom fagfelt, både når det gjelder betydning av organisering generelt, og med tanke på den utjevnende effekten.

• Barth, Erling; Dale-Olsen, Harald; Schøne, Pål & Østbakken, Kjersti Misje (2022). Er arbeidsmarkedet blitt mindre stramt etter covid? Magma forskning og viten. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Stramhet på arbeidsmarkedet måles ved forholdet mellom antall ledige stillinger som bedrifter ønsker å fylle, og antall som ikke er i jobb, men søker arbeid. Situasjonen under pandemien skiller seg fra tidligere erfaringer ved at antall permitterte skjøt kraftig i været. Siden NAVs tall for helt ledige også inkluderer helt permitterte, som har en lavere søkeaktivitet enn ledige uten jobb, får vi et skjevt bilde av stramheten på arbeidsmarkedet når vi bare teller opp antall utlysninger per helt ledige på vanlig måte. I denne artikkelen undersøker vi derfor hvordan stram­heten i arbeidsmarkedet har utviklet seg gjennom pandemien når vi korrigerer stramhets­indikatoren for antall permitterte. I motsetning til hva som har vært tilfellet tidligere, spiller denne korreksjonen en stor rolle for vår for­ståelse av stram­heten i arbeidsmarkedet. Vi ser også på stramhets­indikatoren for yrkesgrupper som er ulikt rammet av pandemien. Korrigerte tall viser at arbeidsmarkedet var svært stramt da samfunnet åpnet opp igjen siste høst.

• Bryson, Alex & Dale-Olsen, Harald (2021). Union effects on product and technological innovation. Research in Labor Economics. 49, p. 41–65. doi: 10.1108/S0147-912120210000049002. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  We present theoretical and empirical evidence challenging early studies that found unions were detrimental to workplace innovation. Under our theoretical model, unions prefer product innovation to labor-saving technological process innovation, thus making union wage bargaining regimes more conducive to product innovation than competitive pay setting. We test the theory with population-representative workplace data for Britain and Norway. We find strong support for the notion that local bargaining leads to product innovation, either alone or together with technological innovation.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2021). Do unions contribute to creative destruction? PLOS ONE. 16(12), p. 1–23. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261212. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  We apply a shift-share approach and historical unionisation data from 1918 to study the impact of regional unionisation changes in Norway on regional wage and productivity growth, job-creation and -destruction and social security uptake during the period 2003–2012. As unionisation increases, wages grow. Lay-offs through plant closures and shrinking workplaces increase, causing higher retirement rates, while job creation, plant entry and other social security uptakes are unaffected. Productivity grows, partly by enhanced productivity among surviving and new firms and partly by less productive firms forced to close due to increased labour costs. Thus, unions promote creative destruction.

• Barth, Erling; Bryson, Alex & Dale-Olsen, Harald (2020). Union Density Effects on Productivity and Wages. The Economic Journal. 130(631), p. 1898–1936. doi: 10.1093/EJ/UEAA048. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  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.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald & Finseraas, Henning (2020). Linguistic diversity and workplace productivity. Labour Economics. doi: 10.1016/j.labeco.2020.101813. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  We study the importance of linguistic diversity in the workplace for workplace productivity. While cultural diversity might improve productivity through new ideas and innovation, linguistic diversity might increase communication costs and thereby reduce productivity. We apply a new measure of languages’ linguistic proximity to Norwegian linked employer-employee manufacturing data from 2003–12, and find that higher workforce linguistic diversity decreases productivity. We find a negative effect also when we control for the impact of cultural diversity. The detrimental impact disappears over time as immigrant workers’ expected proficiency in Norwegian improves since their time of arrival.

• Barth, Erling; Bryson, Alex & Dale-Olsen, Harald (2020). Hva betyr skattefradraget for oppslutningen om fagforeninger? Søkelys på arbeidslivet. 37, p. 109–123. doi: 10.18261/issn.1504-7989-2020-01-02-07. Full text in Research Archive
• Blekesaune, Morten; Dale-Olsen, Harald; Hellevik, Tale & Pedersen, Axel West (2019). Helsesvikt og arbeidsuførhet. In Bay, Ann-Helén; Hatland, Aksel; Hellevik, Tale & Terum, Lars Inge (Ed.), Trygd i aktiveringens tid. Gyldendal Akademisk. p. 176–201. Full text in Research Archive
• Bryson, Alex & Dale-Olsen, Harald (2019). The Role of Employer-Provided Sick Pay in Britain and Norway. Research in Labor Economics. 47, p. 227–252. doi: 10.1108/S0147-912120190000047008. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Higher replacement rates often imply higher levels of absenteeism, yet even in generous welfare economies, employers provide sick pay in addition to the public sick pay. Using comparative population-representative workplace data for Britain and Norway we show that close to 50% of private sector employers in both countries provide sick pay in excess of statutory sick pay. However, the level of statutory sick pay is also much higher in Norway than in Britain. In both countries, private sick pay as well as other benefits provided by employers are chosen by employers in a way that- maximizes profits having accounted for different dimensions of labour costs. Several health-related privately provided benefits are often bundled. In both countries easy-to-train workers, high turnover and risky work are linked to less extensive employer provision of extended sick leave and sick pay in excess of statutory sick pay. In contrast, the presence of a trade union agreement is strongly correlated with both the provision of private sick pay and extended sick leave in Britain but not in Norway. We show that the sickness absence rate is much higher in Norway than in Britain. However, the higher level of absenteeism in Norway compared to Britain relates to the threshold for statutory sick pay in the Norwegian public sick pay legislation. When we take this difference into account, no significant difference remains.

• Mastekaasa, Arne; Dale-Olsen, Harald; Hellevik, Tale; Løset, Gøril Kvamme & Østbakken, Kjersti Misje (2019). Gender difference in sickness absence: Do managers evaluate men and women differently with regard to the appropriateness of sickness absence? Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. 49(2), p. 125–131. doi: 10.1177/1403494819890783. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Aims: Women have much higher rates of sickness absence than men, but the causes of the difference are not well understood. This study examines whether managers have more lenient attitudes toward women’s than toward men’s absence, as this might contribute to higher rates of sickness absence among women. Differences between managers and other employees are also assessed. Methods: Vignettes were used to measure attitudes toward the legitimacy of sickness absence. The vignettes consisted of brief case descriptions of individuals considering asking their physicians for sick leave, with information about the medical condition (mainly taken from the descriptions in ICPC-2), occupation and gender. Respondents judged how appropriate sickness absence was in each case. Quota sampling was used, and the effective sample size was 899 managers and 1396 other employees, and each respondent evaluated either four or six vignettes. Generalised ordinal logistic regression was used. Results: The gender of the vignette person had no effect on the managers’ evaluations of the appropriateness of sickness absence. Irrespective of the gender of the vignette person, however, managers were generally more restrictive than non-managers. Conclusions: Different attitudes on the part of managers toward sickness absence in men and women do not seem to contribute to gender differences in sickness absence, but managers are generally more restrictive than are non-managerial employees.

• Bryson, Alex; Dale-Olsen, Harald & Nergaard, Kristine (2019). Gender differences in the union wage premium? A comparative case study. European journal of industrial relations. doi: 10.1177/0959680119840572. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Trade unions have changed from being male dominated to majority-female organizations. We use linked employer–employee surveys for Norway and Britain to examine whether, in keeping with a median voter model, the gender shift in union membership has resulted in differential wage returns to unionization among men and women. In Britain, while only women receive a union wage premium, only men benefit from the increased bargaining power of their union as indicated by workplace union density. In Norway, however, both men and women receive a union wage premium in male-dominated workplaces; but where the union is female dominated, women benefit more than men. The findings suggest British unions continue to adopt a paternalistic attitude to representing their membership, in contrast to their more progressive counterparts in Norway.

• Godøy, Anna Aasen & Dale-Olsen, Harald (2018). Spillovers from gatekeeping – Peer effects in absenteeism. Journal of Public Economics. 167, p. 190–204. doi: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2018.08.015. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  We study peer effects in absenteeism among workplace colleagues. Gatekeeping is an essential task in many insurance systems. In this study we exploit exogenous shifts of general practitioners (GPs) occurring when physicians quit or retire. We find that these shifts induce changes in absenteeism for affected workers. By utilizing high-quality Norwegian matched employer-employee data with detailed individual information on certified sick leave during the period 2003–2012, we can study how the transfer of workers between GPs affects co-workers’ absenteeism. We identify strong causal positive peer effects in absenteeism: a one day change in focal worker sickness absence transfers to a 0.41 day shift in peer absence.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2018). Sykefravær og inntektskompensasjon ved sykefravær. Søkelys på arbeidslivet. 35(1/2), p. 77–95. doi: 10.18261/issn.1504-7989-2018-01-02-05. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I artikkelen vises det at sykelønn utover hva som ytes av folketrygden, oftere blir tilbudt i 2012 enn i 2003. Slik sykelønn blir tilbudt oftere blant virksomheter tilknyttet tariffavtale, virksomheter som har mange høytlønte og hvor opplæringstiden er lengre, dvs. slik sykelønn kan oppfattes som et frynsegode som tilbys til/fremforhandles av attraktive og sterke arbeidstakergrupper. Studien avsluttes med en analyse om vi kan se forskjeller i sykefraværsmønsteret tilknyttet legemeldt ettersom ansattes inntekt passerer folketrygdens grense for inntektskompensasjon grunnet sykdom. Dette viser at selv om noen grupper tilpasser sitt fravær til grensen for kompensasjon fra folketrygden, gjelder dette langt fra alle.

• Løset, Gøril Kvamme; Dale-Olsen, Harald; Hellevik, Tale; Mastekaasa, Arne; Soest, Tilmann von & Østbakken, Kjersti Misje (2018). Gender equality in sickness absence tolerance: Attitudes and norms of sickness absence are not different for men and women. PLOS ONE. 13(8). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200788. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Previous research offers limited understanding as to why sickness absence is higher among women than among men, but attitudes and norms have been suggested as plausible explanations of this gender gap. The purpose of the present study is to examine whether the gender gap in sickness absence reflects gender differences in sickness absence attitudes or gendered norms of sickness absence in society. The analyses are based on data from a factorial survey Experiment covering 1,800 male and female employed respondents in Norway in 2016. Each participant was asked to evaluate whether sick leave would be reasonable in six unique, hypothetical sickness absence scenarios (i.e. vignettes) in which occupation, gender and reason for sick leave varied. Sick leave judgments were regressed on respondent gender and vignette gender using binary logistic regressions across three cut points. Overall, we did not find a substantial gender difference in either attitudes towards sickness absence or sickness absence norms. However, further analyses indicated more tolerant social norms of sickness absence for employees in gender-dominated occupations than for employees in gender-integrated occupations. This pattern could be a result of the type of work attributed to these occupations rather than their gender composition. Contrary to popular belief, we conclude that widely held attitudes and norms of sickness absence are unlikely to be drivers of the gender gap in sickness absence. The results can be useful for policies and interventions aimed at safeguarding gender equality in the labour market.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2017). Labour demand and supply changes in Norway following an imposed harmonization of geographically differentiated payroll-tax rates. Labour. 32(2), p. 261–291. doi: 10.1111/labr.12119. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The payroll-tax is an important source for public financial revenues. Utilising Norwegian population-wide linked-employer-employee register-data for 2001-2012 while exploiting the harmonizing of the geographically-differentiated payroll-tax imposed by the EU, I show that payroll-tax increases are shifted onto workers’ hourly wages thus reducing these. Annual earnings also drop as the payroll-tax grows. Neither unemployment nor employment levels are affected in the short-run, but the payroll-tax levels and the number of sick leave days appear positively correlated. In the long run, entry into retirement and DI rolls increase. Thus the tax hike induces the withdrawal of workers from the labour force.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald & Østbakken, Kjersti Misje (2016). Økende lønnsulikhet i Norge i perioden 2002–2012? Søkelys på arbeidslivet. 33(1-2), p. 122–141. doi: 10.18261/issn.1504-7989-2016-01-02-07. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I denne artikkelen ser vi på utviklingen i lønns- og inntektsforskjellene i Norge og noen utvalgte land basert på data fra Luxemburg Income Study (2004 og 2010) og Statistisk sentralbyrås Lønnsstatistikk påkoplet inntektsdata for årene 2002–2012. Vi finner at i alle land øker forskjellene moderat, og mest på toppen av fordelingen. I Norge vokser ulikheten både på toppen og på bunnen av lønns- og inntektsfordelingen. De relative forskjellene er noe større blant menn enn blant kvinner. Menn innehar i større grad enn kvinner posisjoner som gjør at de mottar kapitalinntekter, og de opplever derfor større variasjon i ulikhet over tid når kapitalinntekter inkluderes i inntektsmålet.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2016). Gjennomtrekk av ansatte over tid: Ulike trender i forskjellige næringer? Søkelys på arbeidslivet. 33(1/2), p. 85–100. doi: 10.18261/issn.1504-7989-2016-01-02-05. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I denne artikkelen studeres det, på bakgrunn av data over alle norske arbeidstakerforhold i perioden 1989 til 2013, om arbeidstakerne siden tidlig 1990-tallet kan ha blitt mer mobile i den forstand at de lettere flytter på seg til nye arbeidsgivere og om det er næringsvise forskjeller i denne utviklingen. Mobilitetsnivået blant ansatte i det norske arbeidsmarkedet har etter 1995 vært relativt stabil utover mindre konjunkturvariasjoner. Trendutviklingen fra 1995 til 2012 viser klare næringsvise forskjeller: Gjennomtrekken avtar i industrien, hotell- og restaurantsektoren, samt i helse og undervisning, mens den vokser i finans og forsikring. Gjennomtrekken i andre næringer endres lite.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2016). Employee turnover. In Saridakis, George & Cooper, Cary (Ed.), Research Handbook on Employee Turnover. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 5–25. doi: 10.4337/9781784711153.00006. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Covering the period of the financial crisis, this Research Handbook discusses the degree of importance of different driving forces on employee turnover. The discussions contribute to policy agendas on productivity, firm performance and economic growth. The contributors provide a selection of theoretical and empirical research papers that deal with aspects of employee turnover, as well as its effects on workers and firms within the current socio-economic environment. It draws on theories and evidence from economics, management, social sciences and other related disciplines. With its interdisciplinary approach, this book will appeal to a variety of students and academics in related fields. It will also be of interest to policy makers, HR experts, firm managers and other stakeholders.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald; Østbakken, Kjersti Misje & Schøne, Pål (2015). Imitation, Contagion, or Exertion? Using a Tax Reform to Reveal How Colleagues' Sick Leaves Influence Worker Behaviour. The Scandinavian Journal of Economics. 117(1), p. 57–83. doi: 10.1111/sjoe.12082. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  We analyse the social interaction effects in sick-leave behaviour in the workplace, using high-quality Norwegian matched employer–employee data with detailed individual information on sick leaves during the 2004–2006 period. We find that social interaction effects in sick-leave behaviour in the workplace do exist, and that the effects are noticeable in size. The strong relationship between the sick-leave rates among colleagues is not solely the result of contagious diseases, nor is it caused by improved informational quality or by the increased workload for the non-absent workers. Evidence supports the existence of reciprocal worker behaviour that is unrelated to joint leisure-seeking activities.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald & Hagelund, Anniken (2015). Arbeidsgiverne og arbeidslinja. In Bay, Ann-Helén; Hagelund, Anniken & Hatland, Aksel (Ed.), For mange på trygd? : Velferdspolitiske spenninger. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. p. 107–130. Full text in Research Archive
• Nergaard, Kristine; Barth, Erling & Dale-Olsen, Harald (2015). Lavere organisasjonsgrad, et spørsmål om nykommere? Søkelys på arbeidslivet. 32(1-2), p. 91–110. doi: 10.18261/issn.1504-7989-2020-01-02-07. Full text in Research Archive
• Østbakken, Kjersti Misje; Dale-Olsen, Harald & Schøne, Pål (2015). Kjønnsbalanse i styrer og kvinners karriére. In Teigen, Mari (Eds.), Virkninger av kjønnskvotering i norsk næringsliv. Gyldendal Akademisk. p. 120–138. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I denne boka presenterer forfatterne den første brede undersøkelsen av virkningene av det norske lovkravet om kjønnsbalanse I bedriftsstyrer. Målet med noka er å bidra til analyse, kunnskap og refleksjon om betingelsene for likestillingsutvikling I næringslivet og om kjønnskvotering som likestillingspolitisk virkemiddel.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2015). Arbeids- og bedriftsundersøkelsen (ABU) 2012. In Dale-Olsen, Harald (Eds.), Norsk arbeidsliv i turbulente tider. Gyldendal Akademisk. p. 279–285. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2015). Omstillinger og omorganiseringer. In Dale-Olsen, Harald (Eds.), Norsk arbeidsliv i turbulente tider. Gyldendal Akademisk. p. 153–169. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2015). Norsk arbeidsliv i turbulente tider: Innledning og sammendrag. In Dale-Olsen, Harald (Eds.), Norsk arbeidsliv i turbulente tider. Gyldendal Akademisk. p. 13–34. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2015). Fleksibilitet over tid. In Dale-Olsen, Harald (Eds.), Norsk arbeidsliv i turbulente tider. Gyldendal Akademisk. p. 35–55. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2015). Avlønning av ledere. In Dale-Olsen, Harald (Eds.), Norsk arbeidsliv i turbulente tider. Gyldendal Akademisk. p. 220–238. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2014). Sickness absence, sick leave pay, and pay schemes. Labour. 28(1), p. 40–63. doi: 10.1111/labr.12022. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald; Røed, Marianne & Schøne, Pål (2014). Makt til å diskriminere? Søkelys på arbeidslivet. 31(4), p. 311–328. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Blir innvandrere i Norge underbetalt fordi de har en svakere stilling i arbeidsmarkedet enn andre? I denne artikkelen undersøker vi om lønnsforskjeller mellom menn fra innvandrer- og majoritetsbefolkningen kan forklares av at arbeidsgiverne har ulik markedsmakt over arbeidstakere fra disse gruppene. De som har færre og dårligere alternativer, vil trolig i mindre grad slutte i jobben når lønna reduseres. Hvis dette gjelder for innvandrere, kan arbeidsgivere tilby dem lavere lønn uten at de reduserer sitt arbeidstilbud. Analysene i denne artikkelen viser at lønnsgapet mellom menn fra majoritets-og innvandrerbefolkningen er betydelig. De viser også at innvandrere i mindre gard slutter i jobben hvis lønna reduseres. Dette gjelder særlig for innvandrere med bakgrunn fra fattige land utenfor OECD.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald; Schøne, Pål & Verner, Mette (2013). Diversity among Norwegian boards of directors: does a quota for women improve firm performance? Feminist Economics. 19(4), p. 110–135. doi: 10.1080/13545701.2013.830188. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Exploiting the Norwegian boards of directors’ quota reform of 2003, this study evaluates the impact of increased diversity on firm performance. Applying difference-in-difference approaches to accounting data covering the period 2003–07, the paper compares the return on assets for non-finance public limited companies (PLCs) and ordinary limited companies (LTDs), whereof only the former were affected by the reform. The impact of the reform on firm performance is negligible. Neither changed return on total assets (ROA) nor changed operating revenues and cost can be attributed to the reform. However, following the reform PLCs have to a larger extent accumulated capital, financed by debt or by a combination of debt and own capital.

• Bryson, Alex; Barth, Erling & Dale-Olsen, Harald (2013). The Effects of Organizational Change on Worker Well-being and the Moderating Role of Trade Unions. Industrial & labor relations review. 66(4), p. 989–1011. doi: 10.1177/001979391306600410. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2013). Absenteeism, efficiency wages, and marginal taxes. The Scandinavian Journal of Economics. 115(4), p. 1158–1185. doi: 10.1111/sjoe.12028. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this paper, I test the argument that increased taxes on earnings correspond to increased incentives to shirk, thus causing an increase in the rate of worker absenteeism. After fixed job effects are taken into account, panel register data on prime-age Norwegian males who work full-time show that a higher marginal net-of-earnings-tax rate reduces the rate of absenteeism. When the net-of-tax rate is increased by 1.0 percent, absenteeism decreases by 0.3−0.5 percent. Injury-related absences are less affected by tax changes than other absences. Absenteeism becomes more sensitive to tax changes as the occupational unemployment rate increases.

• Bryson, Alex; Barth, Erling & Dale-Olsen, Harald (2012). Do higher wages come at a price? Journal of Economic Psychology. 33(1), p. 251–263. doi: 10.1016/j.joep.2011.10.005. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald; Schøne, Pål & Verner, Mette (2012). Women on Boards of Directors and Firm Performance: Evidence from Denmark and Norway. In Engelstad, Fredrik & Teigen, Mari (Ed.), Firms, Boards and Gender Quotas: Comparative Perspectives. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. p. 211–234. doi: 10.1108/s0195-6310(2012)0000029011. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2012). Do tax reforms affect firm performance and executive remuneration? Evidence from a compressed wage environment. Economica. 79(315), p. 493–515. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-0335.2011.00899.x. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald & Røed, Marianne (2012). Ufør av kollegers uførhet? In Stjernø, Steinar & Øverbye, Einar (Ed.), Arbeidslinja - arbeidsmotivasjonen og velferdsstaten. Universitetsforlaget. p. 146–158. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2012). Executive pay determination and firm performance: Empirical evidence from a wage compressed environment. Manchester School. 80(3), p. 355–376. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9957.2011.02225.x. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2012). Sickness Absence, Performance Pay and Teams. International journal of manpower. 33(3), p. 284–300. doi: 10.1108/01437721211234165. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald; Nilsen, Kjersti Misje & Schøne, Pål (2011). Smitter sykefravær? Søkelys på arbeidslivet. 28(1/2), p. 124–134. Full text in Research Archive
• Barth, Erling & Dale-Olsen, Harald (2011). Employer Size or Skill Group Size Effect on Wages? Industrial & labor relations review. 64(2), p. 341–355. doi: 10.1177/001979391106400207. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2010). Job and worker flows at the firm level. In Marsden, David & Rycx, François (Ed.), Wage Structures, Employment Adjustments and Globalization : Evidence from Linked and Firm-level Panel Data. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 37–63. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald & Markussen, Simen (2010). Økende sykefravær over tid? Sykefravær, arbeid og trygd 1972-2008. Søkelys på arbeidslivet. 27(1/2), p. 105–121. Full text in Research Archive
• Blekesaune, Morten & Dale-Olsen, Harald (2010). Sykdom og sykefravær. In Bay, Ann-Helén; Hatland, Aksel; Hellevik, Tale & Koren, Charlotte (Ed.), De norske trygdene : framvekst, forvaltning og fordeling. Gyldendal Akademisk. p. 221–250. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald & Nilsen, Kjersti Misje (2009). Lønnsulikhet i Norge 1995-2006. Søkelys på arbeidslivet. 26(2), p. 207–221. Full text in Research Archive
• Barth, Erling & Dale-Olsen, Harald (2009). Monopsonistic Discrimination, Worker Turnover, and the Gender Wage Gap. Labour Economics. 16(5), p. 589–597. doi: 10.1016/j.labeco.2009.02.004. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2006). Estimating Workers’ Marginal Willingness to Pay for Safety Using Linked Employer-Employee Data. Economica. 73, p. 99–127. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2006). Worker Turnover, Capital Dispersion and Matching. Labour. 20, p. 395–431. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2006). Wages, Fringe Benefits and Worker Turnover. Labour Economics. 13, p. 87–106. Full text in Research Archive

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• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2015). Norsk arbeidsliv i turbulente tider. Gyldendal Akademisk. 304 p. Full text in Research Archive

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• Evensen, Miriam; Dale-Olsen, Harald; Hardoy, Ines & Wentzel, Mirjam (2024). Registerdataanalyse: sykefravær, inkludering og frafall fra arbeidslivet. Delrapport 2. Institutt for samfunnsforskning. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Vi undersøker utviklingen i arbeidsmarkedsdeltakelsen blant dem som står i fare for sykemelding og frafall fra arbeidslivet, etter yrker og bransjer ved å bruke registerdata om arbeidsforhold, sykefravær og helse samt en utsatt gruppe som har hull i CV-en. Hensikten har vært å belyse en mulig målkonflikt i arbeidslivspolitikken: er det slik at ønsket om å få ned sykefraværet og redusere frafallet fra arbeidslivet står i et motsetningsforhold til at personer med helseutfordringer og personer med hull i CV-en skal oppnå høyere arbeidsdeltakelse? Vi fant at økt predikert risiko for sykefravær reduserer fremtidig arbeidsdeltakelse og gir en høyere sannsynlighet for frafall og uføretrygd, uavhengig av høyt eller lavt sykefravær i bedriften. Videre finner vi at individuelle kjennetegn betyr langt mer for sykefravær enn bedriftsegenskaper, og individets sykefraværstilbøyelighet er en viktig indikator på fremtidig frafall og uførhet. Vi ser også at personer som har høy sykefraværstilbøyelighet som enten bytter jobb og eller kommer i jobb etter å ha vært uten jobb, blir oftere sysselsatt i bedrifter som er mindre sykefraværsfremmende. Det betyr at ny jobb for personer med høy sykefraværstilbøyelighet innebærer en forbedring ved at den nye jobben gir mindre fravær. Over tid ser vi også tegn til at personer med høy sykefraværstilbøyelighet har noe lavere sannsynlighet for frafall fra arbeidslivet. Blant unge som har som har hull i CV-en, ser vi en betydelig redusert sannsynlighet for å være i arbeid ved alder 30 år, og særlig ser vi dette blant dem som i tillegg til hull i CV-en har en psykisk diagnose. Redusert sysselsetting blant de som har hull i CV-en ser videre ut til å være relativt stabilt over tid. Dermed peker resultatene våre samlet sett på at mer inkludering gir høyere sykefravær og større risiko for fravær. Imidlertid ser det ut til at man over tid har bedret inkluderingen av de med høy sykefraværstilbøyelighet, men at sysselsettingen er lav blant unge med hull i CV, og for denne gruppen ser vi få tegn til forbedring i form av økt sysselsetting over tid.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald; Barth, Erling & Bryson, Alex (2022). Turning Non-members into Members: Do Public Subsidies to Union Membership Matter? University College London. Full text in Research Archive
• Barth, Erling; Dale-Olsen, Harald; Schøne, Pål & Østbakken, Kjersti Misje (2021). Chutes and ladders? Job Opportunities for Generation Covid. IZA Institute of labor economics. Full text in Research Archive 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.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2019). Creative Destruction, Social Security Uptake, and Union Networks. IZA. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Does the creative destruction induced by unions entail increased social security uptake? Creative destruction implies the closures of less productive workplaces, and if the regional benefits from this process is not large enough, the displacements caused by workplace closures cause increased social security uptake. In this paper we apply a shift-share approach and historical unionisation data from 1918 to study the impact of regional unionisation changes in Norway on regional social security uptake during the period 2003-2012. As regional unionisation increases, inflows to regional unemployment and disability decrease, but the outflow to retirement increases.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald & Finseraas, Henning (2019). Linguistic Diversity and Workplace Productivity. IZA. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  We study the importance of linguistic diversity in the workplace for workplace productivity. While cultural diversity might improve productivity through new ideas and innovation, linguistic diversity might increase communication costs and thereby reduce productivity. We apply a new measure of languages’ linguistic proximity to Norwegian linked employer-employee Manufacturing data from 2003-12, and find that higher workforce linguistic diversity decreases productivity. We find a negative effect also when we take into account the impact of cultural diversity. As expected proficiency in Norwegian of foreign workers improves since their time of arrival in Norway, the detrimental impact disappears.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald; Strøm, Marte; Østbakken, Kjersti Misje & Barth, Erling (2018). Avtaleformer, lønnsvekst og lønnsspredning. Institutt for samfunnsforskning. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  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.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald & Østbakken, Kjersti Misje (2009). Lønnsspredning, lederlønninger og andre topplønninger i det norske arbeidsmarkedet. Institutt for samfunnsforskning. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I denne rapporten anvender vi omfattende norske register og spørreundersøkelsesdata for perioden 1995 til og med 2006 til å studere i)utviklingen i lønnsspredningen i Norge i perioden 1995 til 2006, ii) beskrive topplønnsmottakerne i Norge i samme periode, og iii) hvordan lederlønnsfastsettelsen kan påvirke forhold ved virksomheten. I tillegg presenterer vi en kunnskapsstatus over temaet. Vi finner at lønnsspredningen i Norge øker moderat og jevnt i denne perioden. Økningen i årslønnsspredning er ikke relatert til utdannings- og næringsforskjeller. Det er derimot timelønnsspredningen. Vi avdekker også en tendens til større årslønnsspredning mellom bedrifter, mens en mer stabil utvikling når det gjelder timelønnsspredningen. Dette indikerer samlet sett at økningen i årslønnsspredning er relatert til konjunktureffekter (lønnsomhetsendringer og arbeidsmarkedsstramhet). Den positive sammenhengen mellom lønnsomhet, stramhet og lønnsspredning bekreftes også i en regresjonsanalyse. Topplønnsmottakerne er stort sett menn, de jobber i klassiske høylønnsyrker som for eksempel ledere, de er ansatt i typiske høylønnsnæringer som finans- og oljesektoren. Det er generelt liten sammenheng mellom produktivitet og avlønningsform, men høyproduktive bedrifter i industrien anvender resultatlønn, mens høyproduktive bedrifter i finans- og IT-sektoren tilbyr opsjoner. Ledere som mottar resultatlønn har høyere lønn enn ledere som opererer i et fastlønnsregime. Våre analyser kan ikke utelukke at avlønningen til ledere påvirker ansattes lønninger.

• Schøne, Pål; Dale-Olsen, Harald & Røed, Marianne (2006). Omfang av arbeidsmarkedstiltak: Betyr det noe? Institutt for samfunnsforskning. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hensikten med denne rapporten har hovedsakelig vært å diskutere og analysere omfanget av den aktive arbeidsmarkedspolitikken for ordinære jobbsøkere. Det vil si at vi har studert sammenhengen mellom effektiviteten i de virkemidlene denne politikken omfatter, og det aggregerte nivået på ressursinnsatsen til aktive arbeidsmarkedstiltak. Et av de sentrale spørsmålene har vært om eventuell positiv effekt på mikro- og/eller makronivå avtar med det samlede nivået på tiltaksomfanget. Eller med andre ord: Påvirker omfanget hvor effektivt de aktive arbeidsmarkedstiltakene virker for den enkelte arbeidssøker eller for sysselsettingsutviklingen på hele arbeidsmarkedet? Omfanget av arbeidsmarkedstiltak for ordinære arbeidssøkere har variert markert i tilknytning til konjunkturene i den analyseperioden vi betrakter (fra midten av 1980-tallet til 2005). Innsatsen ble trappet kraftig opp fra slutten 1980-tallet da konjunkturene forverret seg og ledigheten steg. Innsatsen ble så markert redusert fra midten av 1990-tallet. I våre egne empiriske analyser av sammenhengen mellom tiltaksnivået og arbeidsledighet i norske fylker åpner vi for at denne dimensjoneringseffekten kan gjøre seg gjeldende. Hovedinntrykket også fra disse analysene er imidlertid at en større satsing på arbeidsmarkedstiltak ikke har noen klar effekt på total ledighet. Derimot har høyere tiltaksnivå en klart positiv effekt på utstrømningen fra ledighet. Eller med andre ord: Antallet ansettelser av arbeidsledige arbeidssøkere øker. Til sammen tyder disse resultatene på at arbeids-markedstiltakene reduserer ledighetsperioden; at utskiftningen blant de arbeidsledige går raskere.

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• Dale-Olsen, Harald; Finseraas, Henning; Nergaard, Kristine & Svarstad, Elin Wårstulen (2026). Upholding Unions – How Colleagues Shape Union Membership. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald; Finseraas, Henning; Nergaard, Kristine & Svarstad, Elin Wårstulen (2026). Upholding Unions – How Colleagues Shape Union Membership. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2026). Something in the way she searches – Gender differences in search behaviour following labour income tax changes. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Workers’ job mobility decisions are related to firms’ wage policies and to tax schedules and might thereby vary between men and women. Using Norwegian population-wide administrative linked-employer-employee-data for 2014-2019, we study how the job-to-job turnover of employees is affected by labour income taxes under varying firms’ pay policies, thus drawing inferences on how job search behaviour might differ between men and women. Higher marginal taxes reduce the job-to-job separation rates for both men and women, in line with reduced search intensity. When acknowledging gender differences in firm pay policies, we find supportive evidence that higher marginal taxes affect women more than men, but it varies across sectors and occupations

• Barth, Erling & Dale-Olsen, Harald (2025). Monopsony, labour demand fluctuations and the gender wage gap. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2025). Norway as a laboratory for research on imperfect labour markets. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald & Svarstad, Elin (2025). Strike, Wage Bargaining, and the Cost of Conflict. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2025). Strike, Wage Bargaining, and the Cost of Conflict. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald & Bryson, Alex (2024). Job search, efficiency wages and taxes. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Norwegian workers’ job mobility decisions are related to firms’ wage policies, but also depend on the national tax schedule. By utilising Norwegian population-wide administrative linked employer-employee data on workers and firms during 2010-2019, we study how the job-to-job turnover of employees is affected by marginal taxes and firms’ pay policies, thus drawing inference on job search behaviour. By paying higher wages, job-to-job separation rates drop, but this negative relationship is weakened when taxes increase. Higher taxes imply strictly reduced search activity, but less so for bonus job-workers than salaried workers. Bonus jobs are associated with fewer separations in general.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald & Barth, Erling (2024). Monopsony, labour demand fluctuations and the gender wage gap. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The gender wage gap is a quite persistent phenomenon across the world and over time. This can partly be attributed to motherhood and family relationship. How the gender wage gap varies as labour demand fluctuates is less known. We apply monthly population-wide administrative linked employer-employee-data for Norway during the period 2015-2019 to study how employer monopsony power affects the gender wage gap for all and for different family relationships. Labour market frictions are important contributors to the gender wage gap, but on average their contribution diminishes as labour demand grows.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald & Bryson, Alex (2024). Job search, efficiency wages and taxes. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2023). The Impact of New Free Trade Agreements on Incumbent Firms and Workers. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald; Finseraas, Henning; Nergaard, Kristine & Svarstad, Elin (2023). Upholding Unions – How Co-Workers Influence Shape Membership? Full text in Research Archive
• Barth, Erling; Bryson, Alex & Dale-Olsen, Harald (2023). Creative Disruption – Technology innovation, labour demand and the pandemic. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2022). Arbeidskraftetterspørsel under kriser og i gjeninnhenting. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald; Barth, Erling & Bryson, Alex (2022). Technological innovation, labour demand, and the pandemic. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald; Barth, Erling & Bryson, Alex (2022). Creative disruption - Technological innovation, labour demand, and the pandemic. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2022). Hvordan opprettholde og stimulere organisasjonsgraden blant ansatte? Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2021). Firms’ Markups, Trade Strategies and Pay Policies. Full text in Research Archive
• Barth, Erling; Schøne, Pål; Dale-Olsen, Harald & Østbakken, Kjersti Misje (2021). The rise and fall - labor demand during COVID-19. Full text in Research Archive
• Barth, Erling; Dale-Olsen, Harald & Schøne, Pål (2021). Chutes and ladders? Job Opportunities for Generation Covid. Full text in Research Archive
• Barth, Erling; Dale-Olsen, Harald; Schøne, Pål & Østbakken, Kjersti Misje (2021). Chutes and ladders? Job Opportunities for Generation Covid. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2021). Firms’ mark-up, trade strategies and pay. Full text in Research Archive
• Østbakken, Kjersti Misje; Barth, Erling; Dale-Olsen, Harald & Schøne, Pål (2020). Nye jobber i fritt fall. Søkelys på arbeidslivet. 37, p. 316–323. doi: 10.18261/issn.1504-7989-2020-04-07. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald & Finseraas, Henning (2019). Linguistic proximity and workplace productivity. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  We study the importance of linguistic diversity in the workplace for workplace productivity. While cultural diversity might improve productivity through new ideas and innovation, linguistic diversity might increase communication costs and thereby reduce productivity. We apply a new measure of languages’ linguistic proximity to Norwegian linked employer-employee Manufacturing data from 2001-12, and find that higher workforce linguistic proximity increases total factor productivity. We find a positive effect also when we take into account the impact of cultural diversity and the improvement of proficiency in Norwegian of foreign workers since their time of arrival in Norway.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald & Finseraas, Henning (2019). Linguistic Proximity and Workplace Productivity. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2018). Økte ulikheter med sykelønnskutt? 107(5), p. 40–41. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Sykelønnskutt vil trolig ramme svake grupper hardere enn mer attraktive arbeidstakere. Dermed kan kutt i sykelønna bidra til økte ulikheter i samfunnet.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2018). Sykelønns-kutt rammer ulikt. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Kutt i sykelønnen vil redusere sykefraværet. Men det kan hende at de med høyest fravær forblir like syke, bare enda fattigere.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2018). Wages, Creative Destruction, and Union Networks. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Do unions promote creative destruction? In this paper we apply a shift-share approach and historical unionisation data from 1918 to study the impact of changes in regional unionisation on regional wage and productivity growth and job creation and destruction during the period 2003-2012. As local regional-industrial unionisation increases, wages grow. Lay-offs through plant closure and shrinking workplaces increase, but entry and new hires are unaffected. Overall, the increased unionisation yields a positive impact on regional productivity, exceeding the wage growth, partly due to the closure of less productive firms, but also enhanced productivity of the survivors and new entrants.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald & Godøy, Anna Aasen (2018). Kollegaens fastlege påvirker ditt sykefravær. p. 12–13. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Økning i sykefravær kan bli en ond sirkel på en arbeidsplass. På samme måte kan vellykkede tiltak for å redusere sykefraværet også blir selvforsterkende. Fastlegen kan ha en kjempeviktig rolle i dette.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald & Godøy, Anna Aasen (2016). Spillovers from gatekeeping – Peer effects in absenteeism. Full text in Research Archive
• Pedersen, Axel West; Dale-Olsen, Harald & Schøne, Pål (2016). Do NDC pensions increase labour supply? Evidence from the Norwegian pension reform. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald; Pedersen, Axel West & Schøne, Pål (2016). Do NDC pensions increase labour supply? Evidence from the Norwegian pension reform. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Over the last decades a number of countries have replacing traditional social insurance schemes with Notional Defined Contribution (NDC) schemes in efforts to improve the economic sustainability of national pension systems. NDC-schemes ensure a direct and highly transparent link between lifetime earnings/contributions and expected old age benefits. This link is in turn assumed to have significant positive effect on labour supply over the entire adult, pre-retirement life course. It allows pension contributions to be viewed as a form of forced savings, and therefore they should not contribute to the tax wedge for individuals who care about their income situation in retirement. In this paper we utilize the variation caused by the Norwegian pension reform of 2011 to look for evidence of labour supply responses to the new closer and more transparent link between earnings and pension-rights. The reformed system operates with a ceiling on the accrual of pension rights at annual earnings equal to NOK 640,000 which corresponds to roughly 1.3 times the average full-time wage. Due to the ceiling, the marginal accrual of pension rights in the new system is abruptly reduced from 18.1 percent to zero at this point on the earnings-schedule. If individuals are forward-looking and have a subjective discount rate equal to the implicit rate of return in the pension system, the ceiling should have an equivalent effect of a hike in the marginal tax-rate of 18.1 percent. We follow the standard approaches from research on the effects of taxation (ETI-approach) and use this non-linearity in the (implicit) tax-schedule to look for traces of behavioural responses to the new system of pension accrual. We apply both standard IV regression techniques as well as a RD-design. The analysis is based on register data covering the entire population of wage earners during the period 2008- 2013 with annual earnings above the average full time wage. Our conclusions are mixed. While we observe that the labour supply of both men and women are sensitive to changes in compound marginal tax rates, we find no bunching around the kink point at the social security ceiling and only weak evidence of reduced earnings growth in the interval just above the ceiling after 2011.

• Dale-Olsen, Harald; Bryson, Alex & Gulbrandsen, Trygve Jens (2015). Does it all come tumbling down? Family ownership, workplace closure and the recession. Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald; Bryson, Alex & Barth, Erling (2015). Do Unions Kill Innovation? Full text in Research Archive
• Dale-Olsen, Harald (2015). When the EUs competition rules require non-member state action – Labour demand and supply changes in Norway following an imposed harmonization of payroll-tax rates. Full text in Research Archive
• Bratsberg, Bernt; Dale-Olsen, Harald & Mastekaasa, Arne (2015). Long-term detrimental health-effects from performance pay? Full text in Research Archive

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