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Labor Market Power

Author

Listed:
  • David W. Berger
  • Kyle F. Herkenhoff
  • Simon Mongey
Abstract
To measure labor market power in the US economy, we develop a tractable quantitative, general equilibrium, oligopsony model of the labor market. We estimate key model parameters by matching the firm-level relationship between labor market share and employment size and wage responses to state corporate tax changes. The model quantitatively replicates quasi-experimental evidence on (i) imperfect productivity-wage pass-through, (ii) strategic behavior of dominant employers, and (iii) the local labor market impact of mergers. We then measure welfare losses relative to the efficient allocation. Accounting for transition dynamics, we quantify welfare losses from labor market power relative to the efficient allocation as roughly 6 percent of lifetime consumption. An analytical decomposition attributes equal parts to dead-weight losses and misallocation. Lastly, we find that declining local concentration added 4 ppt to labor’s share of income between 1977 and 2013.

Suggested Citation

  • David W. Berger & Kyle F. Herkenhoff & Simon Mongey, 2019. "Labor Market Power," NBER Working Papers 25719, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:25719
    Note: EFG LS
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E2 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment
    • J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor
    • J42 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Monopsony; Segmented Labor Markets

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