Escaping low pay: do male labour market entrants stand a chance?

Purpose { This paper investigates the extent and the human-capital de- terminants of low-wage mobility for labour market entrants, in the UK and Germany. Design/methodology/approach { Using panel data for the UK (BHPS) and Germany (GSOEP), we apply a competing-risks duration model that al- lows us to study transitions from low pay to competing destination states: higher pay, self-employment, unemployment and inactivity. Unobserved het- erogeneity is tackled by a non-parametric mass-point approach. Findings { We ¯nd that low pay is only a temporary state for most young job starters. However, there is a small group of job starters that is caught in a trap of low pay, unemployment or inactivity. In the UK, job starters escape from low pay mainly by developing ¯rm-speci¯c skills. In Germany, involvement in formal vocational training and the attainment of apprenticeship quali¯cations account for low pay exits. Originality/value { Over the past decades, unemployment and low-wage employment have emerged as major challenges facing young labour market entrants. While most empirical studies focus exclusively on the transition from low pay to high pay, we show that a signi¯cant percentage of young entrants are caught in a low-pay - non-employment trap. Moreover, we show that, depending on the institutional context, di®erent types of human capital investments can account for a successful low-pay exit.Low pay ; labour market entry ; duration model ; human capital

The Effect of Early Retirement Incentives on the Training Participation of Older Workers.

Human capital theory predicts that older workers are less likely to participate in on-the-job training than younger workers, due to lower net returns on such investments. Early retirement institutions are likely to affect these returns. Using the European Community Household Panel we show that older workers participate less in training, and that early retirement institutions do indeed matter. Generous early retirement schemes discourage older workers from taking part in training, whereas flexible early retirement schemes encourage this. Finally, the results suggest that in most European countries training can keep older workers longer in the labour market.

Working Profiles and Employment Regimes in European Panel Perspective

Using longitudinal information on labour market participation we analyse the dynamics of unemployment in Europe. We focus in particular on individuals with a poor attachment to the labour market. The countries under scrutiny are clustered into four ideal-typical welfare regimes. Overall, a remarkable stability with respect to permanent employment is observed. But on the other end, there also is a substantial mobility between secure en insecure jobs. Nevertheless, mobility from insecure employment to secure employment is found to be larger in liberal and social-democratic countries than in Southern Europe.Labour Market; social exclusion; labour market mobility; labour market dynamics; insecure employment; European Community Household Panel

Escaping the low pay trap: do labour market entrants stand a chance?

This paper investigates the wage and employment perspectives of low-wage labour market entrants, using panel data from the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany. We apply a competing risks hazard model of transitions from low pay to higher pay, to unemployment or to inactivity. Low pay is found to be a rather transitory experience. However, a significant amount of transitions between low pay and non-employment is indicated. Exits from low-pay seem to be determined by firm-specific skills in the UK and the Netherlands, while by formal educational and vocational training qualifications in Germany.low pay; competing risks; panel data