Pension choices and job mobility in the UK

Using data from the British Household Panel Survey we analyze the impact of second tier pension schemes on voluntary job mobility within a discrete time hazard rate modelling framework. We find that workers covered by occupational pension plans have significantly lower quit rates, independently of their participation decision. Contrary to common policy suggestions, pension portability losses are not important in explaining quits. However, when we account for occupational pensions' endogeneity through instrumental variables, we find that their negative impact on quit hazards is due to "selection on unobservables"

PENSION CHOICES AND JOB MOBILITY IN THE UK

Using data from the British Household Panel Survey we analyze the impact of second tier pension schemes on voluntary job mobility within a discrete time hazard rate modelling framework. We find that workers covered by occupational pension plans have significantly lower quit rates, independently of their participation decision. Contrary to common policy suggestions, pension portability losses are not important in explaining quits. However, when we account for occupational pensions' endogeneity through instrumental variables, we find that their negative impact on quit hazards is due to "selection on unobservables".

Portability of Supplementary Pension Rights in the European Union

European Union legislation on portability of supplementary pension rights accrued by private sector migrant workers is at an early stage. The recent directive on this topic, aiming to preserve accrued pension rights at least at the level guaranteed in case of within borders mobility, emphasizes the role of country specific legislation on pension portability issues. This paper analyzes EU as well as country specific pension portability regulation for a representative sample of EU countries, in the light of recent empirical evidence on the role of occupational pensions on individual job mobility choices in these countries.

Pension Choices and Job Mobility in the UK

Using data from the British Household Panel Survey we analyze the impact of second tier pension scheme choices on job mobility within a discrete time hazard rate framework. We find that workers either offered and participating or offered and not participating to an occupational pension plan have significantly lower quit rates. However, once the endogeneity of pension scheme status is accounted for through an instrumental variable procedure, these coefficients are no more significant. Alternatively, the effect of pension portability losses on quits' hazards is never significant. The additional finding that workers participating to occupational pension plans are significantly less likely to quit for a non pension job can be interpreted as indirect evidence that they are in "good" jobs.labour mobility, occupational pension plans, duration analysis instrumental variables

Pension choices and job mobility in the UK.

Using data from the British Household Panel Survey we analyze the impact of second tier pension schemes on voluntary job mobility within a discrete time hazard rate modelling framework. We find that workers covered by occupational pension plans have significantly lower quit rates, independently of their participation decision. Contrary to common policy suggestions, pension portability losses are not important in explaining quits. However, when we account for occupational pensions' endogeneity through instrumental variables, we find that their negative impact on quit hazards is due to "selection on unobservables".

Evaluating pension portability reforms. the tax reform act of 1986 as a natural experiment

This paper uses the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (TRA86) as a natural experiment to evaluate the job mobility response of prime aged US employees participating into employer sponsored defined benefit (DB) pension plans to a reduction in the vesting period for pension rights accrual. The repeated panel data design of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) allows us to implement a "difference-in-difference" identification strategy using data from pre and post-reform periods. The effect of the policy change is identified as the difference between the change in predicted voluntary job mobility of the treated group and the change in predicted voluntary job mobility of the control group, over the period under study. We find that the reform had no significant effects on voluntary job mobility of the treated group. Our findings are robust to the use of different control groups and different pre/post reform samples

Pension Portability and Labour Mobility in the United States. New Evidence from SIPP Data

We explore the role of employer provided pensions on job mobility choices using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation. Defined benefit plans are found to have a significant negative effect on mobility. However, we find no significant evidence that the potential pension portability losses deter job mobility among workers covered by these plans. We also find that the portability policy change implemented by the Tax Reform Act of 1986 had only minor effects on mobility. Puzzlingly, defined contribution plans, although fully portable, are found to have an impact similar to defined benefit plans. Evidence of compensation premiums accruing to workers in pension, union and health insurance covered jobs supports the view that workers are less likely to leave 'good jobs'.Labour mobility ; Pension portability ; Switching regression models

Occupationa pensions, wages and tenure wage profiles

Using data from the BHPS, we estimate the impact of occupational pensions on wages and on the tenure profile of wages of male private sector workers in the UK. According to the theoretical literature, occupational pensions participants should receive a premium at the beginning of their careers, when the financial quit disincentives stemming from defined benefit plans are less binding. Our empirical evidence is consistent with this prediction. We find that occupational pension participants earn a positive wage premium only at the beginning of the career. Once we account for the endogenous sorting of individuals into occupational pension schemes, the magnitude of the estimated premium decreases sharply and it looses statistical significance. Indeed, the wage premium appears to be completely explained by unobservable individual and job match heterogeneity

Occupationa pensions, wages and tenure wage profiles.

Using data from the BHPS, we estimate the impact of occupational pensions on wages and on the tenure profile of wages of male private sector workers in the UK. According to the theoretical literature, occupational pensions participants should receive a premium at the beginning of their careers, when the financial quit disincentives stemming from defined benefit plans are less binding. Our empirical evidence is consistent with this prediction. We find that occupational pension participants earn a positive wage premium only at the beginning of the career. Once we account for the endogenous sorting of individuals into occupational pension schemes, the magnitude of the estimated premium decreases sharply and it looses statistical significance. Indeed, the wage premium appears to be completely explained by unobservable individual and job match heterogeneity.

Pension Portability and Labour Mobility in the United States. New Evidence from SIPP Data.

We explore the role of employer provided pensions on job mobility choices using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation. Defined benefit plans are found to have a significant negative effect on mobility. However, we find no significant evidence that the potential pension portability losses deter job mobility among workers covered by these plans. We also find that the portability policy change implemented by the Tax Reform Act of 1986 had only minor effects on mobility. Puzzlingly, defined contribution plans, although fully portable, are found to have an impact similar to defined benefit plans. Evidence of compensation premiums accruing to workers in pension, union and health insurance covered jobs supports the view that workers are less likely to leave "good jobs".labour mobility, pension portability, switching regression models