The missing link - Data on the demand side of labour markets
by Lars Osberg
Department of Economics, Dalhousie University
Business and Labour Market Analysis Division
Analytical Studies Branch research paper series, No. 077
Labour economists have developed elaborate theoretical models and conducted
very advanced econometric analysis of the decision making of households.
But this emphasis on the supply side of the labour market has not been
matched by any corresponding degree of sophistication in empirical analysis
of the demand side of the labour market. This has been due in part to
the lack of appropriate data.
This paper outlines why demand side data which outlines the behaviour
of firms in the labour market is necessary for the advancement of labour
market analysis. It also discusses the constraints which existing data
collection methods impose on labour economics. The paper suggests types
of data which might be collected, alternative methodologies for an establishment/worker
survey, and discusses some of the theoretical and empirical difficulties
that might be encountered in such an exercise.
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