The Impact of Trade Unions on Work Related Training in Australia

Michael Dobbie, Daehoon Nahm and Craig MacMillan
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Michael Dobbie: Macquarie University
Daehoon Nahm: Macquarie University
Craig MacMillan: Macquarie University

Australian Journal of Labour Economics (AJLE), 2017, vol. 20, issue 1, 57-84

Abstract: This paper uses data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics Survey in Australia (2009-2014) to examine the role played by unions in workplace training. We focus on the incidence, intensity, transferability of training, as well as associated wage effects. We find that there is some evidence that unions have a positive effect on the incidence and transferability of training. We find no evidence of a union effect on training intensity. We also find that unions influence wage growth in a way that is consistent with the view that unions trade off wage growth for training opportunities. Our results are not consistent with the predicted role on unions in the standard Becker model. They are consistent with predictions about union influence in imperfectly competitive labour markets, or with the idea that unions directly negotiate better training opportunities.

Keywords: Union training effects; training incidence; training intensity; transferable skills; HILDA (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J01 J24 J51 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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