Data and code for: Wage Stagnation and the Decline of Standardized Pay Rates

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) Maxim Massenkoff, Naval Postgraduate School; Nathan Wilmers, MIT

Version:  View help for Version V1

Name File Type Size Last Modified
est.DEC77.dta application/x-stata-dta 873.3 KB 01/31/2022 12:22:PM
est.DEC79.dta application/x-stata-dta 1.6 MB 01/31/2022 12:22:PM
est.DEC80.dta application/x-stata-dta 1.6 MB 01/31/2022 12:22:PM
est.DEC81.dta application/x-stata-dta 1.6 MB 01/31/2022 12:22:PM
est.DEC82.dta application/x-stata-dta 1.8 MB 01/31/2022 12:22:PM
est.FEB77.dta application/x-stata-dta 848 KB 01/31/2022 12:22:PM
est.FEB86.dta application/x-stata-dta 2 MB 01/31/2022 12:22:PM
est.FEB87.dta application/x-stata-dta 2 MB 01/31/2022 12:22:PM
est.JAN76.dta application/x-stata-dta 791.3 KB 01/31/2022 12:22:PM
est.JAN84.dta application/x-stata-dta 1.9 MB 01/31/2022 12:22:PM
    Total of 120 records. Records per page
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Project Description

Summary:  View help for Summary We use new establishment-by-occupation microdata to show that the wage stagnation of the 1970s and 80s was linked to a decline in standardized pay. Increasingly, wages for blue-collar workers were not fixed by job title or seniority, but instead subject to managerial discretion. From 1974 to 1991, employers nearly doubled their use of discretionary pay-setting. Panel regressions show that wages fell under the new pay-setting approach, particularly for the lowest-paid workers in a job and for those in establishments that previously paid above market rates. In an era of declining worker bargaining power, increasing employer discretion over pay-setting facilitated wage stagnation.

Scope of Project

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms wages and salaries
JEL Classification:  View help for JEL Classification
      J31 Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
      J33 Compensation Packages; Payment Methods


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Published Versions

V1 [2022-12-08]

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