Anette Haas

The agglomeration wage differential reconsidered - an investigation with German micro data 1984-1997

The paper analyzes the agglomeration wage differerential using panel micro data with regional information for the time period 1984-1997. Referring to new contributions to regional economics, several theoretical explanations for spatial wage differentials are discussed. The empirical approach differentiates between two sectors of the economy (Manufacturing and Services), three skill groups and the position in the wage hierarchy. After presenting some descriptive evidence we use Chamberlain´s (1996) method of quantile regressons for the estimatons. According to our findings an agglomeration differential does exist except for low-skilled service workers. The agglomeration wage differential depends positively on the skill level, is typically higher in the manufacturing than in the service sector and tends to increase with the decile of the wage distribution. Our results indicate that a doubling of employment density leads to gross wage increase of 2.5 percent in the average.

The Impact Of Skill-Specific Migration On Regional Unemployment Disparities In Germany

Differences in regional unemployment are still pronounced in Germany, especially between eastern and western Germany. Although the skill level seems important for the relationship between regional disparities and labor migration, corresponding empirical evidence is scarce. Applying dynamic panel models, we investigate the impact of labor mobility differentiated by educational attainment of the workers on regional unemployment disparities between 2000 and 2008. The impact of low- and medium-skilled migration is consistent with traditional neoclassical reasoning, suggesting that labor mobility reduces differences in regional unemployment rates. In contrast, the migration of high-skilled workers tends to reinforce disparities.

Arbeitskräftemobilität in Deutschland. Qualifikationsspezifische Befunde regionaler Wanderungs- und Pendlerströme

KurzfassungDie Untersuchung beschreibt die interregionale Mobilität von Arbeitskräften in Deutschland, wobei sowohl Wandern und Pendeln als auch das Qualifikationsniveau der Beschäftigten berücksichtigt werden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Arbeitskräftemobilität in Deutschland wesentlich durch die unterschiedlichen Arbeitsmarktbedingungen in Ost- und Westdeutschland beeinflusst wird. Ostdeutschland ist durch die Abwanderung von Arbeitskräften und einen Auspendlerüberschuss gegenüber dem Westen gekennzeichnet. Bemerkenswert ist, dass diese Verluste bei den geringqualifizierten Arbeitskräften vergleichsweise stark ausfallen. Hingegen sind die Humankapitalverluste der ostdeutschen Regionen im Bereich der Hochqualifizierten gemessen an der Bedeutung dieses Qualifikationssegments eher niedrig.AbstractThis article analyses internal labour mobility within Germany, distinguishing between migration and commuting and between different educational levels. Our results show that mobility flows in Germany are influenced mostly by differences in labour market conditions between East and West Germany. East Germany is characterized by net migration and net commuting losses. Remarkably, these mobility losses are rather serious in the lowest educational group and tend to be less pronounced for the workforce with academic degrees, resulting in smaller human capital losses than often expected.

THE BENEFITS OF MIGRATION

ABSTRACT Assuming that migration and integration have lasting effects on economic and social processes, this paper analyses if a diverse cultural environment has a positive impact on labour market success. We expect that culturally diverse labour markets provide new opportunities through an open and tolerant climate, thus contributing to overall economic growth. We test this assumption by analysing the successful transition from education to work depending on the regional distribution and ethnic mix of the foreign population in Germany (cultural diversity). To account for variation within Germany, cultural diversity is observed at small administrative units. We analyse a cohort of young adults at the time of the successful completion of their apprenticeship in Germany and follow them through the beginning of their career. The concentration on a homogenous group regarding occupational certificates enables us to focus on the effects of the local and social environment as well as individual characteristics such as their national background on finding a job (or not). We apply an instrumental variable design to disentangle the effects of cultural diversity and share of foreigners. The results show that both young foreigners and Germans face significantly lower barriers for employment entry in culturally more diverse German regions.

Service industries and regional development: An analysis for eastern Germany

By using a shift-share regression approach the contribution of services to the development of employment in eastern Germany is analysed. The results obtained with highly differentiated data from the employment statistics show that services contributed more to a favourable path of development than other industries. This is due in part to general world-wide processes of structural change and the special situation in eastern Germany. Many subsidies were transferred to the East, which stabilises the special segment of the economy related to local demand. This segment is made up mostly of services in eastern Germany. Processes of industrial change can be explained using structural change approaches. It is shown that processes of de-concentration play a role in explaining regional disparities, since inverse localisation and positive urbanisation effects are visible. For the empirical analyses an augmented approach is applied which uses a generalisation of an econometric analogue from the common shift-share method. It combines the strengths of the traditional approach with all the advantages of theory-oriented modelling and regression analysis.

Labour Market in Motion: Analysing Regional Flows in a Multi-accounting System

The analysis of labor market dynamics is essential for labor market research and policy advice. We develop a flexible flow approach system a multi-accounting system (MAS) dealing with flows and stocks on regional labor markets. Combining administrative data at the micro level with various macro data, the MAS describes the dynamic transition process of the 180 local labor market areas in Germany. We use a new algorithm, related to entropy optimization, to estimate unknown transitions. Compared with conventional methods, the main advantage of our proceeding is that additional information from different data sources can be included that is of an inherently fuzzy character.