A Segmented Labour Supply Model Estimation for the Construction of a CGE Microsimulation Model: An Application to the Philippines

Abstract

Labour market analysis is an important element to understand the inequality and poverty within a given population. The literature reveals that the informal sector is characterised by a great deal of flexibility and is exempt from formal market rigidities on the one hand, but on the other hand, this sector can constitute a trap from which it is difficult to exit for workers active in the sector with low wages. In this article, we aim to identify the main characteristics differentiating the labour supply of workers on the informal and formal market in the Philippines while estimating these two labour supplies, capturing discrete choice or changes in employment status. We use these estimates to construct a labour supply model that can serve as an input for a broader macro–microsimulation model applied to the Philippines. The results of the estimation provide relatively intuitive findings, highlighting some differences between the two markets. We also shed some light on this macro–microsimulation modelling framework that is generally opaque, in describing how to construct a microsimulation model with endogenous discrete choice model linked to a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. JEL Classification: C35, O53, J24, C81, O17