Job Referral Networks and the Determination of Earnings in Local Labor Markets

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Schmutte, Ian M.
• 署名单位: University System of Georgia; University of Georgia
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF LABOR ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0734-306X
• DOI: 10.1086/677389
• 发表日期: 2015
• 页码: 1-32
• 关键词: Social networks; wage; DYNAMICS; outcomes; search

摘要

Despite their documented importance in the labor market, little is known about how workers use social networks to find jobs and their resulting effect on earnings. I use geographically detailed US employer-employee data to infer the role of social networks in connecting workers to jobs in high-paying firms. To identify social interactions in job search, I exploit variation in social network quality within small neighborhoods. Workers are more likely to change jobs, and more likely to move to a higher-paying firm, when their neighbors are employed in high-paying firms. Furthermore, local referral networks help match high-ability workers to high-paying firms.