This paper examines whether subjective expectations of unemployment are reliable indicators of the probability of becoming unemployed, and investigates their association with wage growth. We find that workers’ fears of unemployment are increased by their previous unemployment experience and by...

In the 1997 and 1998 waves of the British Household Panel Survey, workers are asked to assess their level of job security in terms of the probability of becoming unemployed within the next year. We examine whether these perceptions of insecurity are purely subjective or are systematically...

In 1996 and 1997, approximately 1 in 10 British workers thought that it was either likely or very likely that they would lose their job within 12 months. Increased job insecurity has been touted as a possible cause for the decline of equilibrium unemployment in Britain and the United States...

We assess the stability of the wage structure in an economy experiencing substantial economic changes. We find that the structure of inter-industry wage differentials remained remarkably stable in Brazil in the face of major shocks

This paper reviews the effects of trade liberalisation on wages in developing countries, and presents new evidence for Brazil. Wages fell substantially in the traded sector after trade liberalisation, consistent with there being reduced rents as industries faced greater competition. After trade...

We assess the stability of the wage structure in an economy experiencing substantial economic changes. We find that the structure of inter-industry wage differentials remained remarkably stable in Brazil in the face of major shocks

This paper first reviews theoretical and empirical studies of the effects of trade liberalisation on wages in developing countries. It then presents new evidence for the case of Brazil which experienced a period of rapid trade liberalisation at the beginning of the 1990s. Conditional on...