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.

Sprache
Englisch

Erschienen in
Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 15717

Klassifikation
Wirtschaft
Demand and Supply of Labor: General
Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs: General
Labor Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs
Thema
hiring costs
human capital specificity
labor market thickness

Ereignis
Geistige Schöpfung
(wer)
Jäger, Simon
Heining, Jörg
Ereignis
Veröffentlichung
(wer)
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
(wo)
Bonn
(wann)
2022

Handle
Letzte Aktualisierung
10.03.2025, 11:44 MEZ

Datenpartner

Dieses Objekt wird bereitgestellt von:
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Objekttyp

  • Arbeitspapier

Beteiligte

  • Jäger, Simon
  • Heining, Jörg
  • Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Entstanden

  • 2022

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