Labour market flexibility determines the possibilities of workers and firms to adjust to changes in the economic environment. This study focuses on the role of the most important types of labour relations that are observed on the Dutch labour market: permanent contracts, temporary contracts and...

In this study, we investigate the anatomy of older workers' wages. The central question is whether the wage cushion - i.e., the difference between actual wages and collectively agreed-upon (maximum) contractual wages - contributes to the fact that wages continue increasing at older ages. We...

This paper investigates the impact of financial incentives on early retirement behaviour for high and low wage earners. Using a stylized life-cycle model, we derive hypotheses on the behaviour of the two types. We use administrative data and employ a linear random effects model to test the...

To balance work and family responsibilities, the Netherlands have chosen a unique model that combines a high female employment rate with a high part-time employment rate. The model is likely to be the result of (societal) preferences as the removal of institutional barriers, like lower marginal...

The apprenticeship system is the most important source of formal post-secondary training in Germany. Our paper contributes to the ongoing debate as to why firms are willing to invest in such training even though many apprentices will leave the training firm soon after completion of the...