Universität zu Köln

Markefke, Theresa ORCID: 0000-0002-8267-3625 (2024). The Role of Institutions, Firm Wage Policies, and Working Time for Labor Market Prospects of Employees - Essays in Labor Economics. PhD thesis, Universität zu Köln.

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Abstract

Labor income serves as the primary income source for most households in OECD countries, underscoring the importance of one's performance in the labor market. Unemployment, therefore, carries substantial costs for individuals and significantly influences their life satisfaction. Beyond its personal toll, unemployment also bears macroeconomic implications, as high levels of unemployment indicate underutilized resources and economic slack. Thus, labor market statistics serve as crucial indicators of a society's economic health. Consequently, comprehending labor market dynamics is essential for understanding societies. In this thesis, I leverage German labor market data to explore the influence of institutions, firm wage policies, and working time on employees' labor market prospects. Each chapter presents empirical analyses grounded in theory, employing micro-econometric methods. Chapter 2, in collaboration with Rebekka Müller-Rehm, investigates the cyclicality of involuntary part-time employment in a labor market characterized by strict worker protection, an aspect previously unexplored. Chapter 3, in collaboration with Christian Bredemeier, offers new insights into the causes of the negative correlation between part-time experience and career development by examining the effects of working part-time versus involuntary part-time on labor market outcomes. The distinction between voluntary and involuntary part-time work helps to assess the relative importance of signaling and dynamic self-selection versus human-capital loss as mechanisms behind the career costs of part-time. Chapter 4 studies the implications of firm pay heterogeneity for on-the-job training by drawing on strategic wage posting models to derive empirical hypotheses and utilizing high-quality datasets to test them.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD thesis)
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Markefke, Theresa Theresa.Markefke@gmx.de orcid.org/0000-0002-8267-3625 UNSPECIFIED
Contributors:	Contribution Name Email Author Müller-Rehm, Rebekka rehmrebekka@googlemail.com Author Bredemeier, Christian bredemeier@wiwi.uni-wuppertal.de
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-721920
Date:	2024
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Management, Economy and Social Sciences
Divisions:	Externe Einrichtungen > An-Institute > Associated Institutes of the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences > Institute for Economic Policy
Subjects:	Economics
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language Involuntary part-time, business cycle, labor market institutions, hours adjustment English Part-time, dynamic self-selection, earnings inequality, event study English On-the-job training, imperfect competition, firm heterogeneity English
Date of oral exam:	26 January 2024
Referee:	Name Academic Title Krause, Michael Professor Bredemeier, Christian Professor
Funders:	Harald und Gertrud Kühnen Stiftung
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/72192