Does the Color of the Collar Matter? Firm Specific Human Capital and Post-Displacement Outcomes

Guido Schwerdt (), Andrea Ichino, Oliver Ruf (), Rudolf Winter-Ebmer () and Josef Zweimüller ()
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Oliver Ruf: Suva

No 3617, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

Abstract: We investigate whether the costs of job displacement differ between blue collar and white collar workers. In the short run earnings and employment losses are substantial for both groups but stronger for white collar workers. In the long run, there are only weak effects for blue collar workers but strong and persistent effects for white collars. This is consistent with the idea that firm-specific human capital and internal labor markets are more important in white-collar than in blue collar jobs.

Keywords: plant closures; firm specific human capital; matching (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J14 J65 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-bec and nep-hrm
Date: 2008-07
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Published in: Economic Letters, 2010, 108 (2), 137-140

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Related works:
Working Paper: Does the color of the collar matter? Firm specific human capital and post-displacement outcomes (2008)
Working Paper: Does the color of the collar matter? Firm specific human capital and post-displacement outcomes (2008)
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