Does Employee Body Weight Affect Employers' Behavior?

Lene Kromann

Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 2015, vol. 117, issue 1, 248-289

Abstract: In this paper, we study the possible segregation of overweight individuals already established in the labor market when firms make decisions on hiring, firing, and promoting. Most existing studies use wage equations to document wage differences, but little is known about the reason for the differences and the sorting of workers. Using an equilibrium search model, search frictions are taken into account. Additionally, sorting is examined using a logit model. We find that wage differences between workers who have a normal weight and workers who are overweight or obese can be explained by differential firm behavior, with respect to both the job-offer arrival rate and the probability of being promoted.

Date: 2015
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