Jump to ContentJump to Main Navigation

Online

99,00 € / $149.00*

* Prices subject to change. Shipping costs will be added if applicable.
Publication Date:
June 2005
ISSN:
1935-1690
DOI:
10.2202/1534-6005.1145

See all formats and pricing

Online
Individual Subscription Online only
Euro [D] 99.00
RRP for USA, Canada, Mexico
US$ 149.00 *
Print
Individual Subscription Online only
Euro [D] 389.00
RRP for USA, Canada, Mexico
US$ 525.00 *
Print + Online
Individual Subscription Online only
Euro [D] 467.00
RRP for USA, Canada, Mexico
US$ 630.00 *
*Prices subject to change. Shipping costs will be added if applicable.

Abraham, Arpad / Carceles-Poveda , Eva / Cavalcanti, Tiago / Kambourov, Gueorgui / Lambertini, Luisa / Ruhl, Kim / Tavares, Jose

The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics

1 Issue per year

IMPACT FACTOR 2011: 0.321

 

Capital-Skill Complementarity and Rigid Relative Wages: Inference from the Business Cycle

Jan R Skaksen1 / Anders Sorensen2

1Copenhagen Business School and Center for Economic and Business Research (CEBR), jrs.eco@cbs.dk

2Copenhagen Business School and Center for Economic and Business Research (CEBR), as.eco@cbs.dk

Citation Information: Contributions in Macroeconomics. Volume 5, Issue 1, Pages –, ISSN (Online) 1534-6005, DOI: 10.2202/1534-6005.1145, June 2005

Publication History:
Published Online:
2005-06-28

The relative demand for skills has increased considerably in many OECD countries during recent decades. This development is potentially explained by capital-skill complementarity and high growth rates of capital equipment. When production functions are characterized by capital-skill complementarity, relative wages and employment of skilled labor are countercyclical because capital equipment is a quasi-fixed factor in the short run. The exact behavior of the two variables depends on relative wage flexibility. Relative wages are rigid in Denmark, implying that the employment share of skills should be countercyclical. The labor market is competitive in the United States and therefore relative wages of skilled labor are expected to be countercyclical. We find that the business cycle development of the two economies is consistent with capital-skill complementarity.

Keywords: capital-skill complementarity; relative wages; business cycle

Comments (0)

Please log in or register to comment.