Labor Turnover Costs and Average Labor Demand

Local Labor Demand and Child Labor

This paper uses micro data from the Brazilian PNAD between 1981 and 2002 to ascertain the role of local labor demand play in shaping work and schooling decisions of children aged 10-15. Using male adult employment by state and year as a proxy for labor demand, we find evidence that contrary to the widespread view that child labor is procyclical among young children (ages 1012) employment (schoo...

The Long-Run Demand for Labor and Adjustment Costs

In practice, it takes time—sometimes several years—for firms to increase their capital stocks (by investing in new plant and equipment) or reduce them (by selling off their capital at auction or not replacing it as it depreciates). Given that capital is such an important element of the production process, it is essential that economists understand the firm’s behavior both during the period when...

Reducing Labor Costs: Choosing

Effects of Labor Standards on Labor Costs and FDI Flows

This chapter summarizes the main findings of a recent study applying new country-level measures of labor standards – constructed from coding textual information and emphasizing actual worker rights – in a statistical analysis of labor costs and foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in the 1990s. Labor standards addressed are in regard to freedom of association and collective bargaining, child...

Global and European Labor Costs

Multinational companies and national governments pay considerable attention to labor cost and labor productivity differentials across countries. This paper analyzes total and unit labor differentials for a group of European and non-European countries in the 1960-1998 period. It deals with (i) the magnitude of total labor cost differences (ii) the developments in unit labor cost and labor produc...