Abstract
In Europe, as in other rich economies, earnings inequality is on the rise. Recent evidence shows that this growing inequality is mainly driven by widening gaps in pay between firms and workplaces. This means that the amount of pay increasingly depends on whether or not you are employed by a high-paying firm, on top of differences due to qualifications etc. This is more than an interesting statistical observation, as inequality between firms has some fundamentally different consequences for society and requires different policies than inequality between employees within firms.
At this ETUI hybrid event, ETUI senior researcher Wouter Zwysen will present findings from his recent Working paper using European data to shed light on the processes of inequality between and within firms, and on the macro-economic and institutional factors shaping this. The key insights from this research and their implications for pay-setting will be discussed by other experts in the field followed by comments by ETUC Deputy General Secretary Esther Lynch from a trade union perspective.
Moderator:
Philippe Pochet, General Director ETUI
Speakers:
Wouter Zwysen, Senior researcher ETUI - download here his Working paper and his presentation
Chiara Criscuolo, Head of Division on Productivity Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the OECD
Rosalia Vazquez-Alvarez, wage specialist at the Wage Group – INWORK, International Labour Organization
Comments:
Esther Lynch, Deputy General Secretary, European Trade Union Confederation – ETUC
Further reading:
Wage inequality within and between firms
Are collective agreements losing their bite?
Gender inequality in performance-related pay
OECD report The Role of Firms in Wage Inequality
Social media: #WageInequality