The Disappearing Large-Firm Wage Premium

Nicholas Bloom, Fatih Guvenen, Benjamin S. Smith, Jae Song () and Till von Wachter

AEA Papers and Proceedings, 2018, vol. 108, 317-22

Abstract: Large firms have paid significantly higher wages for over a century. Based on administrative data we document that the large-firm wage premium (LFWP) has declined steadily over the last 30 years. Decomposing pay into worker and firm fixed effects, we then document that the LFWP can be largely explained by a rise in firm effects with firm size. The dramatic decline is due a reduction in these firm effects at large firms. These changes have been concentrated at very large employers. In contrast, worker composition has changed little. We also find the majority of the change occurs within industries.

JEL-codes: D22 J31 L25 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
Note: DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20181066
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (48)

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