Do firms reduce employment when their insiders (established, incumbent employees) claim higher wages? The conventional answer in the theoretical literature is that insider power has no influence on employment, provided that the newly hired employees (entrants) receive their reservation wages....

Leading models of on-the-job search suggest that competition among firms for employed workers - reflected in higher job-to-job transition rates - is an important driver of real wages. Intuitively, workers are better placed to move or bargain for increases in wages, hours or promotions when they...