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Labour-market response to changes in cohort size: The case of France

Comment le marché du travail s'adapte à l'évolution de l'effectif des générations: le cas français

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Abstract

Recent changes in the labour market in France, more particularly changes in labour supply and in unemployment, are examined. Particular attention is paid to the arrival of the baby boom on the labour market. The effect of demographic changes is, however, shown to have been less than that of behavioural changes.

Relative earnings of successive cohorts are also examined, and the earnings-gap between baby boomers and preceding cohorts is discussed and compared with that observed in the USA. The evidence suggests that with earnings too, non-demographic factors have been important: the inequities observed in the earnings of a number of cohorts cannot be fully explained by relative cohort size.

Résumé

L'auteur étudie l'évolution récente du marché du travail en France, et plus particulièrement les changements intervenus dans l'offre de travail et le chômage. Elle met spécialement l'accent sur l'arrivée des générations du baby-boom sur le marché du travail et montre que, malgré tout, l'effet de l'évolution démographique a été moins important que celui des changements de comportement.

Analysant également les revenus relatifs des générations successives, l'auteur examine l'écart de revenu entre les générations du baby-boom et cells qui les ont précédées, et fait une comparaison avec la situation aux Etats-Unis. Les résultats indiquent que, pour les revenus aussi, des facteurs non démographiques ont eu un effet important : les différences d'effectifs de plusieurs générations ne peuvent expliquer entièrement les inégalités de revenu qu'on y observe.

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Riboud, M. Labour-market response to changes in cohort size: The case of France. Eur J Population 3, 359–382 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01796905

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