NBER Working Papers · 2026 · David J. Deming、Raffaella Sadun、Christopher T. Stanton
中文摘要
有些企业比其他企业更倾向于投资于工人的技能。我们记录了这一现象,并结合企业资助技能培训的模型讨论其含义。数据显示,即便处于同一行业和同一劳动力市场,管理更好的企业也更可能开展培训,而培训要么集中于管理人员的培养,要么集中于一线工人的培养。我们认为,组织差异为企业提供了培训激励,这超出了聚焦劳动力市场摩擦的传统解释。我们通过一个知识层级框架说明组织异质性如何催生培训投资:在该框架中,拥有不同技能的高层管理者会构建量身定制、契合其独特需求的组织。这反过来使通用技能具有了企业专用性,从而使企业能够获取培训投资的回报。
Abstract
Some firms are more likely than others to invest in workers’ skills. We document this phenomenon and discuss its implications in light of models of firm-sponsored skills training. The data show that better managed firms, even in the same industries and labor markets, are more likely to train, while training clusters around either managerial or frontline worker development. We argue that organizational differences provide incentives for firms to train beyond traditional explanations that focus on labor market frictions. We illustrate how organizational heterogeneity can generate training investments through a knowledge hierarchy framework where top managers with different skills build bespoke organizations tailored to their unique needs. This in turn makes general skill firm-specific, allowing firms to capture returns on training investment.