Econometrica · 2026 · Marta Lachowska、Alexandre Mas、Raffaele Saggio、Stephen A. Woodbury
中文摘要
我们采用显示性偏好方法分析华盛顿州的行政数据,表明工时约束普遍存在:工人在同一雇主处对工时的自主权有限,且偏好长工时的工人与提供短工时的雇主之间存在大量错配。自愿性工作流动意味着,壮年工人的收入对工时的边际替代率与工资率之比为 0.5–0.6。观测工时与最优工时之间的平均绝对偏差约为 15%,低工资工人面临的工时约束尤为严重。平均而言,观测到的工时往往低于偏好水平;要在当前雇主处达到与提供理想工时的雇主同等的福利,工人需要获得高出 12% 的工资。这些发现提示,工时约束是劳动力市场的一种均衡特征,因为长工时岗位对雇主而言成本高昂。
Abstract
We apply a revealed preference approach to administrative data from Washington to show that constraints on work hours are widespread: Workers have limited discretion over hours at a given employer, and there is substantial mismatch of workers who prefer long hours to employers that provide short hours. Voluntary job transitions imply a ratio of the marginal rate of substitution of earnings for hours to the wage rate of 0.5–0.6 for prime‐age workers. The average absolute deviation between observed and optimal hours is about 15%, and low‐wage workers face particularly acute constraints on hours. On average, observed hours tend to be less than preferred levels, and workers would require a 12% higher wage with their current employer to be as well off as with an employer offering ideal hours. These findings suggest that hour constraints are an equilibrium feature of the labor market because long‐hour jobs are costly to employers.