Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/73403 
Year of Publication: 
2009
Series/Report no.: 
BGPE Discussion Paper No. 73
Publisher: 
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Bavarian Graduate Program in Economics (BGPE), Nürnberg
Abstract: 
We extend the literature on transition economies' wage structures by investigating the returns to tenure and experience. This study applies recent panel data and estimation approaches that control for hitherto neglected biases. We compare the life cycle structure of East and West German wages for fulltime employed men in the private sector. The patterns in the returns to seniority are similar for the two regional labor markets. The returns to experience lag behind in the East German labor market, even almost 20 years after unification with significant differences particularly for high skill workers. The results are robust when only individuals are considered who started their labor market career in the market economy. We expect that the different returns are related to the heterogeneity of work experience gathered in East versus West Germany.
Subjects: 
wage structure
life cycle earnings
returns to tenure
returns to experience
JEL: 
J31
J24
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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