DP7881 Market imperfections and firm-sponsored training
| Author(s): | Matteo Picchio, Jan C. van Ours |
| Publication Date: | June 2010 |
| Keyword(s): | firm-sponsored training, labor market frictions, matched worker-firm data, product market competition |
| JEL(s): | D43, J24, J42, L22 |
| Programme Areas: | Labour Economics |
| Link to this Page: | cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=7881 |
Recent human capital theories predict that labor market frictions and product market competition influence firm-sponsored training. Using matched worker-firm data from Dutch manufacturing, our paper empirically assesses the validity of these predictions. We find that a decrease in labor market frictions significantly reduces firms' training expenditures. Instead, product market competition does not have an effect on firm-sponsored training. We conclude that increasing competition through international integration and globalization does not pose a threat to investments in on-the-job training. An increase in labor market flexibility may reduce incentives of firms to invest in training, but the magnitude of this effect is small.