Vertical and Horizontal Wage Dispersion and Mobility Outcomes: Evidence from the Swedish Microdata
利用瑞典2001-2008年雇主-雇员匹配数据，研究发现纵向工资离散度（不同层级间）降低跨企业流动，而横向工资离散度（同层级内）增加跨企业流动，且效果因员工在层级中的位置而异。
Using employer–employee matched data from Sweden between 2001 and 2008, we test hypotheses designed to assess the contingent nature of the relationship between wage dispersion and cross-firm mobility. Whereas past research has mostly established that dispersed wages increase interfirm mobility, we investigate the conditions under which pay variance might have the opposite effect, serving to retain workers. We propose that the effect of wage dispersion is contingent on organizational rank and that it depends on whether wages are dispersed vertically (between job levels) or horizontally (within the same job level). We find that vertical wage dispersion suppresses cross-firm mobility because it is associated with outcomes beneficial for employees, such as attractive advancement opportunities. By contrast, horizontal wage dispersion increases cross-firm mobility because it is associated with outcomes harmful for employees, such as inequity concerns. We further find that the vertical-dispersion effect is amplified (mitigated) for bottom (top) different-level wage earners because bottom (top) wage earners have the most (least) to gain from climbing the job ladder. Similarly, the horizontal-dispersion effect is amplified (mitigated) for bottom (top) same-level wage earners because bottom (top) wage earners are most (least) subject to negative consequences of this dispersion. More broadly, this study contributes to our understanding of the relationship between wage dispersion and cross-firm mobility. The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2017.1169 .