@article{WeissGarloff, author = {Weiss, Matthias and Garloff, Alfred}, title = {Skill-biased technological change and endogenous benefits: The dynamics of unemployment and wage inequality}, series = {Applied Economics}, volume = {43}, journal = {Applied Economics}, number = {7}, publisher = {Taylor \& Francis}, issn = {1466-4283}, doi = {10.1080/00036840802599933}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-242195}, pages = {811 -- 821}, abstract = {In this paper, we study the effect of skill-biased technological change on unemployment and wage inequality in the presence of a link between social benefits and average income. In this case, an increase in the productivity of skilled workers and hence their wage leads to an increase in average income and hence in benefits. The increased fallback income, in turn, makes unskilled workers ask for higher wages. As higher wages are not justified by respective productivity increases, unemployment rises. More generally, we show that skill-biased technological change leads to increasing unemployment of the unskilled and to a moderately increasing wage inequality when benefits are endogenous. The model provides a theoretical explanation for diverging dynamics in wage inequality and unemployment under different social benefits regimes: Analyzing the social legislation in 14 countries, we find that benefits are linked to the evolution of average income in Continental Europe but not in the U.S. and the UK. Given this institutional difference, our model predicts that skill-biased technological change leads to rising unemployment in Continental Europe and rising wage inequality in the U.S. and the UK....}, language = {en} } @article{WeissGarloff, author = {Weiss, Matthias and Garloff, Alfred}, title = {Skill Biased Technological Change and Endogenous Benefits}, series = {Applied Economics}, volume = {43}, journal = {Applied Economics}, number = {7}, publisher = {Taylor \& Francis}, doi = {10.1080/00036840802599933}, pages = {811 -- 821}, abstract = {In this article, we study the effect of skill-biased technological change on unemployment and wage inequality in the presence of a link between social benefits and average income. In this case, an increase in the productivity of skilled workers, and hence their wage, leads to an increase in average income and hence in benefits. The increased fallback income, in turn, makes unskilled workers ask for higher wages. As higher wages are not justified by corresponding productivity increases, unemployment rises. Generally, we show that skill-biased technological change leads to increasing unemployment of the unskilled and to a moderately increasing wage inequality when benefits are endogenous. The model provides a theoretical explanation for diverging dynamics in wage inequality and unemployment under different social benefits regimes. Analysing the social legislation in 14 countries, we find that benefits are linked to the evolution of average income in Continental Europe but not in the US and the UK. Given this institutional difference, our model predicts that skill-biased technological change leads to rising unemployment in Continental Europe and rising wage inequality in the US and the UK.}, language = {en} } @article{Weiss, author = {Weiss, Matthias}, title = {Absenteeism in Age-Diverse Work Teams}, series = {Labour Markets and Demographic Change}, journal = {Labour Markets and Demographic Change}, editor = {Kuhn, Michael and Ochsen, Carsten}, publisher = {VS Verlag}, address = {Wiesbaden}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-531-91478-7_3}, pages = {40 -- 57}, abstract = {Age-diverse work teams are being advocated as an important management tool to enhance performance and productively employ older workers. However, this advice is not founded on empirical evidence. There are very few studies that look at the relation between performance and age diversity of work teams. This lack of evidence is mainly due to a lack of available data. Information on performance and worker composition of a productive unit is available almost exclusively on the plant level in matched employer-employee data sets. But on the plant level/age heterogeneity of the workforce does not tell much about age diversity on the level where co-operation/teamwork takes place (work teams, departments, etc.). If all of the older workers work in the administration whereas all the young employees work in the production, the firm's workforce may be highly age-diverse, but work teams and departments are age-homogeneous. This problem notwithstanding, Grund and Westerg{\aa}rd-Nielsen (2005) look at the relation between productivity and the standard deviation of workers' age in a sample of 7,000 Danish firms. They find a hump-shaped relation.}, language = {en} } @article{LuehrmannWeiss, author = {L{\"u}hrmann, Melanie and Weiss, Matthias}, title = {The Effect of Working Time and Labor Force Participation on Unemployment}, series = {Economic Modelling}, volume = {27}, journal = {Economic Modelling}, number = {1}, doi = {10.1016/j.econmod.2009.07.024}, pages = {67 -- 82}, abstract = {This paper introduces a new argument into the theoretical literature on labor market effects of changes in working hours and labor force participation. We advance a general equilibrium model in which increased labor supply reduces unskilled unemployment via consumer demand: longer work hours and higher labor force participation imply higher incomes and less (leisure) time. In consequence, home production is reduced in favor of outsourcing domestic tasks to the market, shifting consumer demand toward unskill-intensive goods. Relative demand for unskilled labor rises and unemployment falls. Finally, we provide empirical support for the basic mechanisms of our model for Germany.}, language = {en} } @article{Weiss, author = {Weiss, Matthias}, title = {On the Evolution of Wage Inequality in Acemoglu's Model of Directed Technical Change}, series = {Applied Economics Letters}, volume = {16}, journal = {Applied Economics Letters}, number = {6}, publisher = {Taylor \& Francis}, doi = {10.1080/13504850701206452}, pages = {591 -- 595}, abstract = {In Acemoglu's model of directed technical change, the skill-premium increases in consequence of an increase in the relative supply of skilled labour. In this article, I argue that other measures of wage inequality such as the Gini-coefficient do not necessarily rise as well. The Gini-coefficient depends positively on the skill-premium, but the effect of an increase in the relative supply of skilled labour is ambiguous. A simulation of Acemoglu's model shows that the growth in the relative supply of skilled labour has led to increased wage inequality in the past, but will lead to decreasing wage inequality in the future.}, language = {en} } @article{Weiss, author = {Weiss, Matthias}, title = {Skill-Biased Technological Change}, series = {Economics Letters}, volume = {100}, journal = {Economics Letters}, number = {3}, doi = {10.1016/j.econlet.2008.03.022}, pages = {439 -- 441}, abstract = {This paper presents a model in which perpetual skill-biased technological change does not lead to ever-increasing wage inequality. The model is consistent with the increase in wage inequality in the 1980s and the subsequent stabilization in the 1990s.}, language = {en} } @article{Weiss, author = {Weiss, Matthias}, title = {Erfahrung kompensiert nachlassende F{\"a}higkeiten}, series = {Personalf{\"u}hrung}, journal = {Personalf{\"u}hrung}, number = {1}, pages = {56 -- 58}, language = {de} } @article{BoerschSupanWeiss, author = {Boersch-Supan, Axel and Weiss, Matthias}, title = {Productivity and age: Evidence from work teams at the assembly line}, series = {Journal of the economics of ageing}, journal = {Journal of the economics of ageing}, number = {7}, publisher = {Elsevier}, doi = {10.1016/j.jeoa.2015.12.001}, pages = {30 -- 42}, abstract = {The authors study the relation between workers' age and their productivity in work teams, based on a new and unique data set that combines data on errors occurring in the production process of a large car manufacturer with detailed information on the personal characteristics of workers related to the errors. The authors correct for non-random sample selection and the potential endogeneity of the age-composition in work teams. The results suggest that productivity in this plant which is typical for large-scale manufacturing does not decline at least up to age 60. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.}, language = {en} } @article{BoerschSupanDuezguenWeiss, author = {B{\"o}rsch-Supan, Axel and D{\"u}zg{\"u}n, Ismail and Weiss, Matthias}, title = {Altern und Produktivit{\"a}t}, series = {Personalf{\"u}hrung}, journal = {Personalf{\"u}hrung}, number = {07}, pages = {74 -- 81}, abstract = {Der Zusammenhang zwischen Alter und Leistungsf{\"a}higkeit von Besch{\"a}ftigten wird in den verschiedensten Disziplinen untersucht - mit zum Teil recht unterschiedlichen Ergebnissen. Dieser Beitrag gibt einen {\"U}berblick {\"u}ber die Literatur und diskutiert die Notwendigkeit einer neuen Sicht der Produktivit{\"a}tsmessung. Bisherige Studien besch{\"a}ftigen sich mit der Messung der individuellen Produktivit{\"a}t. In einer modernen arbeitsteiligen Gesellschaft realisiert sich die Arbeitsproduktivit{\"a}t allerdings weniger in der Einzelperson als vielmehr im Zusammenwirken von j{\"u}ngeren (innovativen, flexiblen?) und {\"a}lteren (erfahrenen?) Mitarbeitern.}, language = {de} } @article{BoerschSupanWeiss, author = {B{\"o}rsch-Supan, Axel and Weiss, Matthias}, title = {Erfahrungswissen in der Arbeitswelt}, series = {Potenziale im Altern. Chancen und Aufgaben f{\"u}r Individuum und Gesellschaft}, journal = {Potenziale im Altern. Chancen und Aufgaben f{\"u}r Individuum und Gesellschaft}, editor = {Kruse, Andreas}, publisher = {AKA}, address = {Heidelberg}, pages = {221 -- 234}, language = {de} } @article{BoerschSupanHunklerWeiss, author = {B{\"o}rsch-Supan, Axel and Hunkler, Christian and Weiss, Matthias}, title = {Big data at work: Age and labor productivity in the service sector}, series = {The Journal of the Economics of Ageing}, volume = {19}, journal = {The Journal of the Economics of Ageing}, publisher = {Elsevier}, doi = {10.1016/j.jeoa.2021.100319}, abstract = {Does productivity decline with age? Does population aging harm economic growth? We exploit process-generated data from a large and typical service-sector company. We find no decline in average productivity in the age range of 20-60. This result is precisely measured. Our innovative identification strategy corrects for sample selection, endogeneity of age composition and age-cohort confounding. Our big data are essential to extract the signal from the noise that has marred many previous studies. While average productivity stays flat, we find variation according to task complexity. Productivity increases with age in teams with more demanding tasks and decreases in routine tasks.}, language = {de} }