Public-private Sector Wage Research Articles

Decomposing the Public-Private Wage Gap for Nurses in the Philippines

In this study, we investigate the determinants of the public-private sector wage gap among nurses in Pampanga, Philippines. Using two estimation methods followed by a Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition of the wage differential, we study the extent to which this gap can be accounted for by differences in human and social capital endowments versus unexplained differences. Education, work experience, and active participation in the professional nursing association were found to have a significant effect on wages. Results of the Oaxaca decomposition highlight the bifurcated nature of the nursing labor market. Nearly 42% of the public-private wage differential was “unexplained” by differences in worker characteristics, suggesting that a significant portion of the gap may be attributed to differences in wage-setting regimes, market structures, and worker incentives between the public and private sectors.

Public-Private Sector Wage Differentials by Type of Contract: Evidence from Spain

The article examines public-private sector wage differentials in Spain using microdata from the Structure of Earnings Survey (Encuesta de Estructura Salarial). When applying various decomposition techniques, we find that it is important to distinguish by gender and type of contract. Our results also highlight the presence of a positive wage premium for public sector workers that can be partially explained by their better endowment of characteristics, in particular by the characteristics of the establishment where they work. The wage premium is greater for female and fixed-term employees and falls across the wage distribution, being negative for more highly skilled workers.

Public-Private Sector Wage Differentials by Type of Contract: Evidence from Spain

Public-Private Sector Wage Differentials by Type of Contract: Evidence from Spain

Public–private sector wage differentials and the business cycle

This paper uses microeconomic data for the period from 1990 to 2004 to examine the relationship between public–private sector wage differentials and labour market conditions in Finland. The results show that the public sector wage premium is strongly counter-cyclical. On average, a 10 percent increase in the local unemployment rate increases the public–private sector wage gap by one percent. Separate analyses by government sector and quantiles of the distribution of wages reveal that it is local government workers and those working at lower skill levels who benefit more from increasing unemployment rate. The paper also exploits the longitudinal structure of the data to examine whether the results are constant over time. These results indicate that the cyclical pattern primarily emerges in years with deteriorated labour markets.

Public-Private Sector Wage Gap in Australia: Variation along the Distribution

Previous research on public–private wage differentials in Australia has focused on the mean of the conditional wage distribution. Using six waves of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey, this study employs quantile regressions to examine whether the sectoral wage effect varies along the wage distribution. For females, public sector wage premiums are relatively stable for almost the entire distribution. For males, they decrease monotonically and are negative for the top half of the distribution. The decomposition results show that the observed differences in individuals and job characteristics explain a substantial proportion of the sectoral wage gap.

Public and Private Sector Wages Interactions in a General Equilibrium Model

This paper develops a dynamic general equilibrium model in which the public and the private sector interact in the labor market. Previous studies that analyze the labor market effects of public sector employment and wages have mostly assumed exogenous rules for public wage and public employment. We show that theories that equalize wages with marginal products in the private sector can rationalize the interaction of public and private sector wages when extended to accommodate a non-trivial government sector/public sector union that endogenously determines public employment and wages. Our model suggests a positive correlation between public and private sector wages. Any increase in tax revenues, coupled with the existence of a positive public-private sector wage gap, makes working in the public sector an attractive option. Thus, a positive neutral productivity shock increases public and private sector wages. More interestingly, even a private-sector specific productivity shock spills-over to the public sector, increasing public wages. These facts lend some support to the wage leading role of the private sector. Nevertheless, at the same time, a positive shock to public sector wages would lead to an increase in private sector wages, via the flow of workers from the private to the public sector.

Public and Private Sector Wages Interactions in a General Equilibrium Model

This paper develops a dynamic general equilibrium model in which the public and the private sector interact in the labor market. Previous studies that analyze the labor market effects of public sector employment and wages have mostly assumed exogenous rules for public wage and public employment. We show that theories that equalize wages with marginal products in the private sector can rationalize the interaction of public and private sector wages when extended to accommodate a non-trivial government sector/public sector union that endogenously determines public employment and wages. Our model suggests a positive correlation between public and private sector wages. Any increase in tax revenues, coupled with the existence of a positive public-private sector wage gap, makes working in the public sector an attractive option. Thus, a positive neutral productivity shock increases public and private sector wages. More interestingly, even a private-sector specific productivity shock spills-over to the public sector, increasing public wages. These facts lend some support to the wage leading role of the private sector. Nevertheless, at the same time, a positive shock to public sector wages would lead to an increase in private sector wages, via the flow of workers from the private to the public sector. JEL Classification: C32, J30, J51, J52, E62, E63, H50

Public–private sector segmentation in the Pakistani labour market

This study investigates public–private sector wage differentials for male and female waged employees in Pakistan. This is done using latest nationally representative data from the Pakistan Living Standards Measurement Survey (PSLM) 2005. We adopt three methodologies to obtain robust estimates of the wage differential and the results reveal that public sector workers enjoy large wage premia. The gross pro-public wage differential is much larger for women than for men. Our findings also show that while private and public sector workers’ differing characteristics ‘explain’ a larger proportion of the private–public wage gap for men, this is not the case for women.

Education and Earnings in Transition: The Case of Lao*

This paper is a study on the returns to education in Lao, a country that has been largely neglected by the published literature. The authors found that the private rates of returns to education have risen significantly with economic transition. In particular, returns for young workers are considerably higher than for older workers. Although large earnings premiums are generally received by workers with high levels of education, the most profitable investment in education for a large number of paid employees is still the primary level. Moreover, there are the significant public–private sector wage differentials. The research findings have important implications for public sector salaries and the financing of education in Lao.

THE PATTERN AND EVOLUTION OF GEOGRAPHICAL WAGE DIFFERENTIALS IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS IN GREAT BRITAIN*

Government policy on the nature of wage bargaining in the public sector can have important implications for the provision of public services. Using the New Earnings Survey, the Labour Force Survey and the British Household Panel Survey, we examine the size and evolution of public–private sector wage differentials across geographical areas within the UK and over time. Public sector bargaining structures have led to historically high wage premia, although these premia are declining over time. In high‐cost low‐amenity areas, such as the south‐east of England, the public sector underpays relative to the private sector, therefore creating problems in recruitment to and provision of public services. Public sector labour markets are around 40 per cent as responsive to area differences in amenities and costs as are private sector labour markets. Differences in the degree of spatial variation between sectors are likely to remain, leading to persistent problems for the delivery of public services in some parts of the UK. Reform of public sector pay structures is likely to be costly, and so other non‐pay policies need to be considered to increase the attractiveness of public sector jobs.

The Public-Private Sector Wage Differential for Full-Time Male Employees in Britain: A Preliminary Analysis

The Public-Private Sector Wage Differential for Full-Time Male Employees in Britain: A Preliminary Analysis

Evolution of the Public–Private Sector Wage Differential during Transition in Estonia

This article estimates the public–private sector wage differential in Estonia over the transition period. Quantile regression is used with a dataset from Estonian Labour Force Surveys from 1989 to 2004 for this purpose. The results of the analysis indicate that the public–private sector wage differential was negative during early transition but has decreased subsequently. It also shows that employees with low potential wages tend to gain more or lose less from working in the public sector than workers with high potential wages. The public–private sector wage differential is negatively related to the number of public employees and tends to be counter-cyclical. Political cycles have no effect on the public–private sector wage differential in Estonia.

Public-Private Sector Pay Differentials in a Devolved Scotland

The public-private sector wage gap in Scotland in 2000 is analysed using the extension sample of the British Household Panel Study (BHPS). Employing a switching regression model, and testing for double sample selection from the participation decision and sector choice, the wage gap is shown to be 10 % for males and 24 % for females. For males this is mainly due to differences in productive characteristics and selectivity, while for females the picture is more ambiguous. Findings also suggest that there exists a male private sector wage premium. While there is no evidence of a sample selection bias for females, the sector choice of males is systematically correlated with unobservables. Furthermore, the structural switching regression indicates that expected wage differentials between sectors are an important driving force for sectoral assignment.

The unequal distribution of the public-private sector wage gap in Greece: evidence from quantile regression

Quantile regression analysis is used to estimate the public-private sector wage differential in Greece. The results suggest that wage differences between sectors are mainly attributed to the employee's endowment. The decomposition of the wage differential shows that the endowment component (characteristics differential) increases as we move up to the upper quantiles and the unobserved components decrease at higher quantiles. (The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and not those of the Bank of Greece.)

Public-private sector wage differentials in Germany: Evidence from quantile regression

This paper measures and decomposes the differences in earnings distributions between public sector and private sector employees in Germany for the years 1984–2001. Oaxaca decomposition results suggest that conditional wages are higher in the public sector for women but lower for men. Using the quantile regression decomposition technique proposed by Machado and Mata (2004), we find that the conditional distribution of wages is more compressed in the public sector. At the low end of wages, differences in characteristics explain less than the raw wage gap when it is the opposite at high wages. Separate analyses by work experience and educational groups reveal that the most experienced employees and those with basic schooling do best in the public sector. All these results are stable over the 80s and 90s.

Public-Private Sector Wage Differential in Estonia: Evidence from Quantile Regression

In this paper the wage differential between the public and private sector is estimated by means of the quantile regression method, which will provide a more complex picture of the distribution of the public-private sector wage differential than can be obtained with ordinary mean regression. The evidence from quantile regression shows that there is a negative wage differential for higher quantiles, but no significant difference in wages for lower quantiles. The other main results are that women benefit more from working in the public sector than men, and that employees with higher educational levels benefit more from working in the public sector than low-educated workers.

Public-Private Sector Wage Differentials in Scotland: An Endogenous Switching Model

The public-private sector wage gap in Scotland in 2000 is analysed using the extension sample of the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS). Employing an endogenous switching model, and testing for double sample selection from the participation decision and sector choice, the unadjusted wage gap is shown to be 10 per cent for males and 24 per cent for females. For males this is mainly due to differences in productive characteristics and selectivity. For females the picture is more ambiguous. Findings also suggest that there exists a substantial wage premium for male private sector employees. While there is no evidence of a sample selection bias for females, the sector choice of males is systematically correlated with unobservables. Furthermore, the structural switching regression indicates that expected wage differentials between sectors are an important driving force for sectoral assignment.

The Distribution of the German Public–Private Wage Gap

This paper provides a distributional analysis of the public–private sector wage gap in Germany from 1984 to 1996. The public sector wage distribution is generally less dispersed than the private sector wage distribution. The raw wage differential is positive for males who are at the lower tail of the male wage distribution and negative at the upper tail. In contrast, females enjoy positive wage gaps along most part of the wage distribution. A decomposition analysis reveals that the male wage premium, i.e. the part of the wage gap not accounted for by differences in observable characteristics, is uniformly negative, whereas the female wage premium is positive.

The public-private sector wage gap in Zambia in the 1990s: A quantile regression approach

We investigate the determinants of wages in Zambia and based on the quantile regression approach, we analyze how their effects differ at different points in the wage distribution and over time. We use three cross-sections of Zambian household data from the early nineties, which was a period of economic transition, because items as privatization and deregulation were on the political agenda. The focus is placed on the public-private sector wage gap, and the results show that this gap was relatively favorable for the low-skilled and less favorable for the high-skilled. This picture was further strengthened during the periosd 1991–1996.

Public and private sector wages of male workers in Germany

We analyze several statistical assumptions used in empirical models on public–private sector wage structures. Based on data for Germany, which contain a large range of background variables usually not available in other studies, we investigate the sensitivity of results to various specification and identification assumptions. The standard switching regression model is extended to allow for endogeneity of education level, experience, and hours worked. These extensions lead to considerably different parameter estimates. We compare conditional and unconditional wage differentials between the public and the private sector for the various specifications. These differentials are sensitive to identification assumptions, but robust across specifications which do and do not allow for endogeneity of education, experience, and hours worked.