Arbeitspapier

How Substitutable Are Workers? Evidence from Worker Deaths

We estimate how exogenous worker exits affect firms' demand for incumbent workers and new hires. Drawing on administrative data from Germany, we analyze 34,000 unexpected worker deaths, which, on average, raise the remaining workers' wages and retention probabilities. The average effect masks substantial heterogeneity: Coworkers in the same occupation as the deceased see positive wage effects; coworkers in other occupations experience wage decreases when a high-skilled or specialized worker dies. Our findings imply substantial replacement costs, which are larger in thin markets and when skills are specialized.

Language
Englisch

Bibliographic citation
Series: CESifo Working Paper ; No. 10126

Classification
Wirtschaft

Event
Geistige Schöpfung
(who)
Jäger, Simon
Heining, Jörg
Event
Veröffentlichung
(who)
Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo)
(where)
Munich
(when)
2022

Handle
Last update
10.03.2025, 11:45 AM CET

Data provider

This object is provided by:
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. If you have any questions about the object, please contact the data provider.

Object type

  • Arbeitspapier

Associated

  • Jäger, Simon
  • Heining, Jörg
  • Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo)

Time of origin

  • 2022

Other Objects (12)