Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research - Research Publications

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    The importance of pecuniary and non-pecuniary rewards in job choice
    WEBSTER, EM ; BAINGER, T (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, 2001)
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    How segmented are skilled and unskilled labour markets: the case of beveridge curves.
    Song, Lei Lei ; Webster, Elizabeth ( 2001-11)
    This paper tests whether there is empirical evidence that two distinct Beveridge curves for the skilled and unskilled aggregate markets. The results support the dualism hypothesis and specifically find that the skilled labour segment is more efficient at matching workers with jobs and/or has lower turnover rates. Lower turnover rates may be indicative of a better prior match. It also found that other shift variables, such as the replacement rate, the incidence of long-term unemployment, the immigration rate and the market circumstances in the other segment, had differential effects on each curve
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    An estimate of the equity effects of labour market programs
    Webster, Elizabeth ; Johnson, David ( 2001-01)
    Labour market programs aim to enhance both total employment and equality of job opportunities. While the employment effects have been studied extensively in Australia and overseas, the effects on equality has scarcely received any attention. The existing literature implies that any assistance to a disadvantaged group will promote equality. However, because many programs operate by substituting one group of people for another, the effects on equity cannot be determined until some estimates are made of the type of person who has been displaced. This study attempts to present comparative information on the types of people who benefit and lose from the provision of labour market programs. It is found that expenditure on labour market programs, as they were constructed under Working Nation, favours people with more disadvantaged work histories and lower household incomes compared with an alternative of higher levels of health and education expenditure.
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    The effects of wages on aggregate employment: a brief summary of empirical studies
    Webster, E. ( 2000-09)
    This paper provides non-technical summaries of theories which posit a relationship between aggregate employment and real wages and presents results from Australian and selected overseas empirical studies. Neoclasssical supply side theories assume that real wages, for given endowments of physical capital, primarily influence the cost of employing labour, and have an inverse relationship to aggregate employment. Keynesian demand side theories maintain that real wages affect both demand for labour as well as the relative costs of employing different techniques of production. Most estimations of the wage elasticity of demand for labour assume that real output is fixed and are thus not proper elasticities of demand. Recent Australian estimates range from -0.15 to -1.0 but the equations are not long run estimates as they include either output or the capital stock as an explanatory variable.
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    The Determinants of Relative Wage Change in Australia
    Webster, Elizabeth ; TSENG, YI-PING ( 2000-12)
    This paper uses micro data from over 4000 Australian individuals to investigate which factors have had a significant influence on microeconomic wage growth over the past 3 years. The relative importance of four type of factors: outside incomes, demand for labour, workers' relative bargaining strength and category of wage contract are compared. Basic individual demographic characteristics (partial substitute variables for outside incomes), and some indicators of workers' bargaining power provided most of the explanation for wage changes. Proxy variables for labour demand, while significant and correctly signed, were small in magnitude. Information on workplace characteristics and the individual's work history were not available.
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    An estimate of the equity effects of labour market programs
    Webster, Elizabeth ; Johnson, David ( 2001-01)
    Labour market programs aim to enhance both total employment and equality of job opportunities. While the employment effects have been studied extensively in Australia and overseas, the effects on equality has scarcely received any attention. The existing literature implies that any assistance to a disadvantaged group will promote equality. However, because many programs operate by substituting one group of people for another, the effects on equity cannot be determined until some estimates are made of the type of person who has been displaced. This study attempts to present comparative information on the types of people who benefit and lose from the provision of labour market programs. It is found that expenditure on labour market programs, as they were constructed under Working Nation, favours people with more disadvantaged work histories and lower household incomes compared with an alternative of higher levels of health and education expenditure.