Real Wages, Skill Mismatch and Unemployment Persistence

Henri Sneessens and Fatemeh Shadman

No 1994050, LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE from Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE)

Abstract: We develop a model of equilibrium unemployment with endogenous real wages and productivity. We use a framework with explicit quantity constraints and aggregation over micromarkets to derive a Beveridge curve and discuss the relationship between shifts in the Beveridge curve and equilibrium unemployment. We also distinguish skilled and unskilled labor, so that shifts in the aggregate UV-curve can be the outcome of either frictions on the skilled labor market or skill mismatch. Frictions are assumed to be exogenous and are estimated by a linear trend. Skill mismatch is endogenous and depends, a.o., on the skilled/unskilled relative wage. There is a tight relationship and interaction between skill mismatch and equilibrium unemployment. We estimate the model on French annual data, over the period 1962-89. We exploit these results to propose tentative explanations of observed unemployment rises and Beveridge curve shifts, and to discuss a few economic policy options .

Date: 1994-10-01
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