Does higher education protect against obesity? Evidence using Mendelian randomization

Objectives. The aim of this explorative study was to examine the effect of education on obesity using Mendelian randomization. Methods. Participants (N = 2011) were from the on- going nationally representative Young Finns Study (YFS) that began in 1980 when six cohorts (aged 30, 33, 36, 39, 42 and 45 in 2007) were recruited. The average value of BMI (kg/m(2)) measurements in 2007 and 2011 and genetic information were linked to comprehensive register based information on the years of education in 2007. We first used a linear regression (Ordinary Least Squares, OLS) to estimate the relationship between education and BMI. To identify a causal relationship, we exploited Mendelian randomization …

Real wages-employment relationship in Finnish manufacturing: a VAR approach

Granger's concept of causality and the vector autoregressive(VAR) technique is used to investigate the real wages-employment relationship in Finnish manufacturing. The stationarity of the time series is examined and a number of co-integration tests for the adequacy of a pure VAR specification performed. The results using a bivariate VAR model based on a lag structure determined by Akaike's information criterion suggests that real wages Granger-cause employment. The slight non-constancy of the model suggests, however, that the conclusion concerning the nature of the real wages-emploment relationship should be treated with causion.

Desertions in nineteenth-century shipping: modelling quit behaviour

Ship jumping in foreign ports was widespread throughout the age of sail. Desertion by seamen was illegal, it occurred abroad, and men who deserted only seldom returned home. We analyse desertion quantitatively and link it to the broader question of quit behaviour and labour turnover. Though the better wages paid at the foreign ports were the main reason for desertion, the regression model of the determinants of desertion indicates that outside opportunities, such as migration, and monetary incentives played a significant role in the nineteenth-century labour market, characterized by rather strict control over labour supply, working conditions, and terms of trade. Copyright , Oxford Universi…

Stature and long-term labor market outcomes: Evidence using Mendelian randomization.

We use the Young Finns Study (N = ∼2000) on the measured height linked to register-based long-term labor market outcomes. The data contain six age cohorts (ages 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18, in 1980) with the average age of 31.7, in 2001, and with the female share of 54.7. We find that taller people earn higher earnings according to the ordinary least squares (OLS) estimation. The OLS models show that 10 cm of extra height is associated with 13% higher earnings. We use Mendelian randomization, with the genetic score as an instrumental variable (IV) for height to account for potential confounders that are related to socioeconomic background, early life conditions and parental investments, which ar…

Childhood physical activity as a labor market investment

This study examined the role of physical activity and changes in physical activity levels during childhood in long‐term labor market outcomes. To address this important but under‐researched theme, the study utilized data drawn from longitudinal research, the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (YFS), and from registries compiled by Statistics Finland. The study consisted of children aged 9 (n=1565) and 15 (n=2445) at the time their physical activity was measured. Labor market outcomes, including employment status, average employment months, and average unemployment months, were calculated from 1997 to 2010, when the participants were aged 20 to 48 years. Regression models were used to …

The Nordic expericence revisited: labour market booms and slumps since the 1990s in Finland and Sweden

PurposeThis paper aims to provide an account of the unemployment performance of two Nordic countries during their recent labour market booms and slumps.Design/methodology/approachBased on the empirical models of Karanassou et al., we conduct dynamic simulation exercises and explore the determinants of unemployment.FindingsThe analysis yields two main findings. First, the capital stock was the most important determinant of the unemployment trajectory in both countries. This result appears in all periods considered: in the slump of the early 1990s and the boom of the late 1990s, as well as in the stabilisation period of the early 2000s. Second, the role of the foreign sector on the unemployme…

Nuorten miesten ammatti? : ikä ja ammattitaito merenkulussa 1700-luvulta 1900-luvun puoliväliin

Taloudelliset kannusteet ja työttömien työllistyminen

Artikkelissa raportoidaan tuloksia työttömien työnhakijoiden taloudellisten kannusteiden kehittymisestä ja työllistymisestä. Tilastoaineisto kattaa vuodet 2001–2014 ja se on rajattu seitsemään suureen seutukuntaan, joiden työvoima muodostaa puolet Suomen työmarkkinoista. Tilastoaineistoon perustuvien laskelmien mukaan taloudelliset kannusteet työllistymiseen olivat korkeimmillaan vuosina 2008–2009, jonka jälkeen ne ovat laskeneet liki yhtäjaksoisesti vuoteen 2014 asti. Kannustetasot ovat olleet korkeimmat nuorilla, korkeasti koulutetuilla työttömillä miehillä ja matalimmat alle 35-vuotiailla vähän kouluttautuneilla naisilla. Mallinanalyysin mukaan kannustetasolla on yhteys työttömän työnhak…

Persistence and turnover in regional unemployment disparities

PEHKONEN J. and TERVO H. (1998) Reg. Studies, 32 , 445-458, Persistence and turnover in regional unemployment disparities. This study investigates persistence and turnover in regional unemployment disparities in Finland by examining time-series data on 10 labour districts and 423 municipalities. The data on the labour districts indicates that regional unemployment disparities are rather persistent and that steady-state unemployment rates differ considerably across the districts. The results on the municipality level data, however, suggest the presence of substantial intra-distribution dynamics and that the degree of persistence is less profound than the labour district data indicates. In al…

Do childhood infections affect labour market outcomes in adulthood and, if so, how?

A burgeoning body of literature suggests that poor childhood health leads to adverse health outcomes. lower educational attainment and weaker labour market outcomes in adulthood. We focus on an important but under-researched topic, which is the role played by infection-related hospitalization (IRH) in childhood and its links to labour market outcomes later in life. The participants aged 24-30 years in 2001 N =1706 were drawn from the Young Finns Study, which includes comprehensive registry data on IRHs in childhood at ages 0-18 years. These data are linked to longitudinal registry information on labour market outcomes (2001-2012) and parental background (1980). The estimations were performe…

Profit Sharing the Firm-Size Wage Premium

This study analyzes the relationships among wages, firm size, and profit sharing schemes. We develop a simple theoretical model and explore the relationship empirically using high-quality panel data. The theoretical model shows that the firm-size wage premium decreases in the presence of profit sharing. The empirical results based on rich matched employee-employer data for private sector wage earners in Finland show that the firm-size wage premium is modest, and it becomes negligible when we account for profit sharing and covariates describing assortative matching and monopsony behavior. The analysis suggests that profit sharing schemes embody effects of firm-specific unobservables that rai…

Nuorten innovatiivisten yritysten innoivointikykyja tuottavuus

Employment-output link in Finland: evidence from regional-level data

Wage Drift: Phillips Curve vs Bargaining Models

: The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the debate on market- versus bargaining-determined total earnings by examining whether models of wage drift based on wage-bargaining considerations empirically outperform models based on simple ad hoc formulations relating wage drift to excess demand for labour. The task is carried out by investigating the empirical performance of two bargaining models and two Phillips curve models in the context of data on the Finnish metal industry. The results suggest that the former perform better than the latter, thus providing support for the hypothesis that total earnings are bargaining-determined. Furthermore, the results are in line with the view that…

Opiskeluaikainen työssäkäynti ja työmarkkinatilanne valmistumisen jälkeen: havaintoja rekisteriaineistosta

Born entrepreneurs? : Adolescents’ personality characteristics and entrepreneurship in adulthood

Is there an entrepreneurial personality, and does it appear early in life? We provide a new answer to this important question by examining traits related to Type A behavior (Aggression, Leadership, Responsibility, and Eagerness-Energy) measured during adolescence and their relationship to entrepreneurship propensity in adulthood. The results indicate that the early-life Leadership dimension is significantly associated with a higher likelihood of 1) becoming an entrepreneur and 2) being more successful as an entrepreneur, as approximated by sales. peerReviewed

Establishment size and task-specific wages: Evidence from historical contract data

This study examines whether task-specific jobs are rewarded differently across establishments of different sizes and whether these rewards vary across distinct technologies. We found that the aggregate premium estimates on the impact of size on wages conceal significant differences between tasks and technologies and that these differences reflect unobserved individual heterogeneity. The role of self-selection of more productive workers into larger establishments is particularly substantial in the case of abstract tasks. peerReviewed

Technological change, occupational composition, and wage premiums : evidence from linked employer-employee data

Profit Sharing the Firm-Size Wage Premium

This study analyzes the relationships among wages, firm size, and profit sharing schemes. We develop a simple theoretical model and explore the relationship empirically using high-quality panel data. The theoretical model shows that the firm-size wage premium decreases in the presence of profit sharing. The empirical results based on rich matched employee-employer data for private sector wage earners in Finland show that the firm-size wage premium is modest, and it becomes negligible when we account for profit sharing and covariates describing assortative matching and monopsony behavior. The analysis suggests that profit sharing schemes embody effects of firm-specific unobservables that rai…

Young Lads and Old Tars: Changing Age Structure of the Nordic Sailors, 1750s–1930s

AbstractThis article analyzes the changing age structure of Swedish and Finnish sailors for almost 200 years. We show that the proportion of the youngest men increased during the age of sail (i.e., the older technology). The average age increased significantly during the early twentieth century as steam (i.e., the newer technology) replaced sail in Nordic shipping. Thus, a technological revolution did not displace the older workers, but rather diminished the demand for the younger ones. This study shows, however, that technological changes were not the only drivers of changes in the age structure of Nordic sailors. Institutional and societal changes also played an important role, though the…

Does better education mitigate risky health behavior? A mendelian randomization study.

Education and risky health behaviors are strongly negatively correlated. Education may affect health behaviors by enabling healthier choices through higher disposable income, increasing information about the harmful effects of risky health behaviors, or altering time preferences. Alternatively, the observed negative correlation may stem from reverse causality or unobserved confounders. Based on the data from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study linked to register-based information on educational attainment and family background, this paper identifies the causal effect of education on risky health behaviors. To examine causal effects, we used a genetic score as an instrument for year…

Economic Costs of Obesity in Europe

This chapter summarizes the evidence on the indirect costs of obesity that result from adverse labour market outcomes (i.e., earnings and employment losses) at the individual level. We focus on empirical evidence covering European countries emphasizing the most recent studies in this field. Research has established three key empirical observations. The first fact is that there is a negative link between excess weight and various labour market outcomes. Obesity is linked to significantly lower earnings, lower levels of employment and higher probability of entering sick leave or exiting from paid employment through disability pension. The second fact is that the negative link between excess w…

The effects of using participatory working time scheduling software on sickness absence: A difference-in-differences study.

Abstract Background Participatory working time scheduling is a collaborative approach to scheduling shift work. As a potential way of improving work time control, it may provide a means to reducing sickness absence in shift work. So far, experimental and quasi-experimental studies on the effects of increased work time control on sickness absence are lacking. Objective To investigate the effects of using digital participatory working time scheduling software on ward-level sickness absence among Finnish hospital employees. Participants and methods This quasi-experimental study compared the amount of sickness absence in hospital wards using a participatory working time scheduling software (n=1…

Education Leads to a More Physically Active Lifestyle : Evidence Based on Mendelian Randomization

Physical inactivity is a major health risk worldwide. Observational studies suggest that higher education is positively related to physical activity, but it is not clear whether this relationship constitutes a causal effect. Using participants (N = 1651) drawn from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study linked to nationwide administrative data from Statistics Finland, this study examined whether educational attainment, measured by years of education, is related to adulthood physical activity in terms of overall physical activity, weekly hours of intensive activity, total steps per day, and aerobic steps per day. We employed ordinary least squares (OLS) models and extended the analysis…

Schizophrenia polygenic risk score and long-term success in the labour market: A cohort study

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors Employment is rare among people with a schizophrenia diagnosis. Meanwhile, a genetic liability for schizophrenia may hinder labour market performance. We studied how the polygenic risk score (PGS) for schizophrenia related to education and labour market outcomes. We found that a higher PGS was linked to lower educational levels and weaker labour market outcomes as well as a higher likelihood of receiving social income transfers, particularly among men. Assuming that the link is causal, our results indicate that individuals with schizophrenia or schizophrenia-related traits have a weakened ability to fully participate in the labour market, potentially …

Parenthood and gender inequality : Population-based evidence on the child penalty in Finland

This study presents evidence on the effect of parenthood on labor market outcomes in Finland. We use population-based data drawn from administrative registers and an event study design centered around the birth of the first child using the specification proposed in Kleven et al. (2019b). The study confirms that women encounter large short- and long-term child penalties in gross labor earnings and that penalties are associated with employment participation. Taxes and social security transfers considerably reduce the child penalty, which also varies by the number of children. peerReviewed

Epätieteellisiä ennusteita

Regional Matching Frictions and Aggregate Unemployment

This study demonstrates that a stochastic frontier approach applied to regional level data offers a convenient and interesting method to examine how regional differences in matching efficiency and structural factors contribute to aggregate unemployment. The study reveals notable and temporally stable differences in matching efficiency across travel-to-work areas in Finland. If all areas were as efficient as the most efficient one, the number of hirings would increase by about 40 per cent. This would reduce the aggregate unemployment rate from the current 8.5 per cent level to 6.0 per cent. If all the areas shared the same structural characteristics as the most favourable area, the aggregate…

Health endowment and later-life outcomes in the labour market : Evidence using genetic risk scores and reduced-form models

This paper examines the relationship between health endowment and later-life outcomes in the labour market. The analysis is based on reduced-form models in which labour market outcomes are regressed on genetic variants related to the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. We use linked Finnish data that have many strengths. Genetic risk scores constitute exogenous measures for health endowment, and accurate administrative tax records on earnings, employment and social income transfers provide a comprehensive account of an individual’s long-term performance in the labour market. The results show that although the direction of an effect is generally consistent with theoretical reasoning, …

Childhood Physical Activity and Adulthood Earnings

Purpose: This study examined the associations between childhood physical activity level and adulthood earnings. Methods: The data were drawn from the ongoing longitudinal Young Finns Study, which was combined with register-based Finnish Longitudinal Employer–Employee Data and registerbased parents_ background information from the Longitudinal Population Census of Statistics Finland. The study consisted of children who were 9 yr (n = 1257, 52% boys), 12 yr (n = 1662, 51% boys), and 15 yr (n = 1969, 49% boys) of age at the time when physical activity was measured. The children were followed until 2010, when they were between 33 and 45 yr old. Leisure-time physical activity in childhood was se…

Maksetaanko vientiyrityksissä parempia palkkoja?

Tässä artikkelissa tarkastellaan yrityksen palkkatason ja vienti-intensiivisyyden välistä suhdetta. Artikkelin lähtökohtana ovat kansainvälisessä kirjallisuudessa raportoidut havainnot, joiden mukaan vientiyritykset maksavat korkeampia palkkoja kuin pelkästään kotimaahan tuottavat yritykset. Tutkimusaineistona käytetään yhdistettyä työntekijä-työnantaja -aineistoa vuosilta 2003–2008. Suomessa toimivia yksityisen sektorin yrityksiä kattavasti edustava satunnaisotos osoittaa, että vientiintensiteetiltään erilaiset yritykset eroavat merkittävästi toisistaan useiden havaittavien työntekijä- ja yritysominaisuuksien suhteen. Ekonometrisen analyysin mukaan nämä erot, yhdessä ei-havaitsemattomien m…

Income and Mental Well-Being : Personality Traits as Moderators

Using data from the participants of the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development (JYLS) at ages 42 and 50 (N = 326), this study provides empirical evidence of the relation between income and mental well-being and of the possible role of personality traits in modifying this relation. The relationships were analyzed using pooled ordinary least squares (OLS; bi- and multivariate settings) and fixed effects estimations (FE; multivariate settings). Positive bivariate associations were found between gross monthly income and the sum score of mental well-being and its separate dimensions (emotional, psychological, and social well-being and the absence of depression) as wel…

Childhood physical activity as a labor market investment

This study examined the role of physical activity and changes in physical activity levels during childhood in long-term labor market outcomes. To address this important but under-researched theme, the study utilized data drawn from longitudinal research, the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (YFS), and from registries compiled by Statistics Finland. The study consisted of children aged 9 (n = 1565) and 15 (n = 2445) at the time their physical activity was measured. Labor market outcomes, including employment status, average employment months, and average unemployment months, were calculated from 1997 to 2010, when the participants were aged 20 to 48 years. Regression models were used…

The biometric antecedents to happiness

It has been suggested that biological markers are associated with human happiness. We contribute to the empirical literature by examining the independent association between various aspects of biometric wellbeing measured in childhood and happiness in adulthood. Using Young Finns Study data (n = 1905) and nationally representative linked data we examine whether eight biomarkers measured in childhood (1980) are associated with happiness in adulthood (2001). Using linked data we account for a very rich set of confounders including age, sex, body size, family background, nutritional intake, physical activity, income, education and labour market experiences. We find that there is a negative rel…

Technological change and wage premiums: historical evidence from linked employer-employee data

Abstract This study analyses the impacts of a technological change (the steam engine) on wage premiums. Using historical employer–employee panel data, we found that steam technology had both new skill-demanding and skill-replacing aspects. The former manifested itself as an increase in the demand for high-skilled engineers, the latter in a decline in the demand for intermediate-skilled, able-bodied seamen and an increase in the demand for unskilled engine room operators. Our panel data analysis, which controls for unobserved heterogeneity, implies that high-skilled labourers in abstract tasks and unskilled labourers in manual tasks improved their wage positions relative to intermediate-skil…

Genetic endowments, parental resources and adult health: Evidence from the Young Finns Study

This paper uses longitudinal survey data linked to administrative registers to examine socioeconomic gradients in health, particularly whether the effects of genetic endowments interact with the socioeconomic resources of the parental household. We find that genetic risk scores contribute to adult health measured by biomarkers. This result is consistent with the findings from genome-wide association studies. Socioeconomic gradients in health differ based on biomarker and resource measures. Family education is negatively related to obesity and the waist-hip ratio, and family income is negatively related to low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Parental resources do not…

Availability and consumption of alcoholic beverages: evidence from Finland

The study examines the consumption of alcoholic beverages in Finland over the period 1960 to 2004. Consumption is explained by its own real price, relative prices, expenditure and variables measuring the availability of alcohol. The empirical analysis utilizes information on linkages across different beverages and uses co-integration techniques. The study finds that changes in the availability of alcohol, typically related to institutional changes, have played an important role in determining consumption, especially of beer.

Relative age at school entry, school performance and long-term labour market outcomes

This article examines the impact of relative age at school entry on school performance, educational attainment and labour market outcomes later in life. We find that the advantages of maturity at school entry are short-lived with relative age having no impact on the years of formal education, adulthood earnings or employment. Our findings are consistent with the view that assumes modest maturity effects in countries where formal education begins late and there are no ability-differentiated learning groups at initial grades. peerReviewed

Matching inefficiencies, regional disparities and unemployment

.  In this paper we apply a stochastic frontier approach to examine how matching inefficiencies and regional disparities in structural factors contribute to regional and aggregate unemployment. Our results suggest that there would be a substantial decline in aggregate unemployment if (i) all local labour offices operated with full efficiency or (ii) they shared the same structure of job seekers and vacant jobs as the most favourable office. In the former case an increase in hirings would lower the average unemployment rate by 2.4 percentage points. In the latter case the decrease would be 1.4 percentage points. Further, we find that fixed effects are positively correlated with both a more f…

The serum copper/zinc ratio in childhood and educational attainment : a population-based study

Background Micronutrients are potentially important determinants of adult outcomes such as educational attainment. Copper and zinc have known effects on several medical conditions and cognitive development. Elevated copper and depressed zinc is a common trace metal imbalance. Methods We estimate the correlation between the copper/zinc ratio (Cu/Zn) in childhood (year 1980) and educational attainment in adulthood (year 2010). We use the Young Finns Study (YFS) combined with the Finnish Linked Employer-Employee Data (FLEED). The regression models account for confounders such as other biomarkers and parental observables. Results We report a sizeable, negative correlation between Cu/Zn and educ…

Road to unity? : Nordic economic convergence in the long run

This study examines Nordic economic convergence from the sixteenth to twentieth century respective of the economic leaders, in effect the UK before 1914 and USA thereafter. The paper uses a novel approach of combining the analysis of both GDP and wages. The examination of real GDP per capita suggests that there was a catch-up process in play, both with the economic leaders and among the Nordic states, from the early nineteenth century onwards. However, the examination of the adjusted silver wages suggests convergence among the Nordic economies by the end of the eighteenth century. Therefore, we argue, no single Nordic Model emerged from these development patterns, even though the Nordic sta…

Public-private sector pay gaps in Finland: A quantile regression analysis

This paper examines public-private sector wage differentials in Finland using a quantile regression method. We control for the endogeneity of the working sector and allow the returns of individual skills to vary between industries. The results suggest that men earn a premium of 3 percent in the public sector at the lower-end jobs. At the median and the upper end of the distribution, men’s pay gap is negative, varying between 5 and 10 percent. Women, in turn, always earn more in the public sector (4–10 percent), and the premium is highest at the upper end of the earnings distribution. (JEL: J31, J45) peerReviewed

Personality, occupational sorting and routine work

Purpose – A prominent labour market feature in recent decades has been the increase in abstract and service jobs, while the demand for routine work has declined. This article examines whether the components of Type A behaviour predict workers’ selection into nonroutine abstract, non-routine service and routine jobs. Design/methodology/approach – Building on the work by Barrick et al. (2013), this article first presents how the theory of purposeful work behaviour can be used to explain how individuals with different levels of Type A components sort into abstract, service and routine jobs. Then, using longitudinal data, it examines whether the components of Type A behaviour predict occupation…

Labor market performance of dropouts: the role of personality

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence on labor market careers of dropouts with various levels of education. Design/methodology/approach – The paper compares the labor market careers of dropouts and non-dropouts between ages 15 and 50 by using longitudinal data. The paper analyses how the results change when the authors control for differences in personality characteristics. Findings – The paper finds that dropping out diminishes one's success in the labor market but this connection is reduced when the model is augmented with personality. Dropouts seem to have or lack certain personality characteristics that are associated with labor market success. These findings sugge…

Returns to scale in a matching model: evidence from disaggregated panel data

The returns to scale in the matching function play an important role in models with endogenous search effort. Due to positive externalities, increasing returns to scale in matching can support high or low activity equilibrium in the labour market. In this study, we examine this issue using panel data from Finnish employment offices. The study finds that the results from the Cobb–Douglas and translog specification are qualitatively different. The CD specification of the matching function exhibits constant returns to scale. The translog specification, in turn, exhibits increasing returns to scale. The elasticity estimate for returns, using the preferred specification and minimum and maximum s…

Public-private sector pay gaps by industry, quantile and gender

Birth weight and adult income : An examination of mediation through adult height and body mass

This paper examines the causal links between early human endowments and socioeconomic outcomes in adulthood. We use a genotyped longitudinal survey (Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study) that is linked to the administrative registers of Statistics Finland. We focus on the effect of birth weight on income via two anthropometric mediators: body mass index (BMI) and height in adulthood. We find that (i) the genetic instruments for birth weight, adult height, and adult BMI are statistically powerful; (ii) there is a robust total effect of birth weight on income for men but not for women; (iii) the total effect of birth weight on income for men is partly mediated via height but not via BMI; …

Promotions and Earnings – Gender or Merit? Evidence from Longitudinal Personnel Data

This study examines the determinants of promotions, performance evaluations and earnings using unique longitudinal data from the personnel records of a large university. The study focuses on the role of gender in remuneration using, first, information on the complexity ratings of job tasks to define promotions on job ladders and, second, information on objective individual productivity. The study finds that individual research productivity was an important determinant of promotions and earnings. The results indicate that gender has no effect on the probability of being promoted, conditional on productivity, nor does it play a role in the performance evaluation of employees. Furthermore, the…

Työmarkkinoiden heikko kohtaanto on erityisesti kasvukeskusten ongelma

Technological change and wage premiums: historical evidence from linked employer-employee data

This study analyses the impacts of a technological change (the steam engine) on wage premiums. Using historical employer–employee panel data, we found that steam technology had both new skill-demanding and skill-replacing aspects. The former manifested itself as an increase in the demand for high-skilled engineers, the latter in a decline in the demand for intermediate-skilled, able-bodied seamen and an increase in the demand for unskilled engine room operators. Our panel data analysis, which controls for unobserved heterogeneity, implies that high-skilled labourers in abstract tasks and unskilled labourers in manual tasks improved their wage positions relative to intermediate-skilled labou…

Earnings Premiums in Academia: Evidence from Personnel Data

This study examines the existence of a gender earnings gap in the academic labour market with well-defined pay scales with panel data from the personnel records of a large university. We find that women earn approximately 10% less than men but that adjusting for different background characteristics and research performance decreases the gap to 2%. Our results suggest that the level of gender pay inequality is greater among older employees and lower for more productive employees. The results also imply that the gender gap is more pronounced in female-led departments than in male-led departments. peerReviewed

The Time-Varying Effect of Participatory Shift Scheduling on Working Hour Characteristics and Sickness Absence: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment in Hospitals.

Participatory shift scheduling for irregular working hours can influence shift schedules and sickness absence. We investigated the effects of using participatory shift scheduling and shift schedule evaluation tools on working hour characteristics and sickness absence. We utilized a panel data for 2015−2019 with 16,557 hospital employees (6143 in the intervention and 10,345 in the control group). Difference-in-differences regression with ward-level clustered standard errors was used to estimate the average treatment effect on the treated coefficients relative to timing of the intervention with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Using participatory scheduling tool increased long working hou…

Technological change and wage premiums amongst high-skilled labour

This study examines the impact of the steam engine, which produced wide and long-lasting economic growth from the 19th century to the early 20th century, on the wages of high-skilled seamen in the Swedish merchant maritime shipping industry. The analysis focuses on the years 1869–1914, which was a transition period during which traditional sailing ships were replaced by steam-powered vessels. The study shows that all high-skilled occupations received wage gains under steam technology. The evidence on wage polarization amongst the high-skill occupations remains subtle, although there is certain evidence that wage premiums vary by occupation. peerReviewed

Longitudinal Associations between Physical Activity and Educational Outcomes

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Kohtaanto työmarkkinoilla – havaintoja ja politiikkajohtopäätöksiä

Työmarkkinoiden kohtaanto-ongelma, eli yhtäaikainen pula työpaikoista ja työntekijöistä on kärjistynyt Suomessa vuosina 2012-2016. Kohtaanto-ongelmat liittyvät erityisesti seitsemän suuren seutukunnan työmarkkinoihin. Muissa seutukunnissa kohtaanto ei ole heikentynyt merkittävästi, ja erityisesti suhdanne-ja rakennemuutoksia kokeneissa seutukunnissa työttömyyden nousu on yhdistynyt avoimien työ- paikkojen määrän laskuun. Työpaikkojen täyttymisnopeus on hidastunut ja yli kuukauden avoimena olevien työpaikkojen osuus vakansseista on noussut finanssikriisin jälkeen merkittävästi. Kehitys selittyy osin työvoiman tarjonnassa (ikä- ja koulutus) sekä työvoiman kysynnässä (toimialarakenne, työtehtä…

Personality, occupational sorting and routine work

PurposeA prominent labour market feature in recent decades has been the increase in abstract and service jobs, while the demand for routine work has declined. This article examines whether the components of Type A behaviour predict workers' selection into non-routine abstract, non-routine service and routine jobs.Design/methodology/approachBuilding on the work by Barrick et al. (2013), this article first presents how the theory of purposeful work behaviour can be used to explain how individuals with different levels of Type A components sort into abstract, service and routine jobs. Then, using longitudinal data, it examines whether the components of Type A behaviour predict occupational sor…

Public-private sector pay gaps and centralized wage setting : aggregate and industry data evidence

Unemployment Flows in Finland, 1969-95: A Time Series Analysis

We adopt a flow approach to analyse Finnish unemployment experience during the last three decades. In addition to data on short-term and total outflow and inflow rates from a relatively long period beginning in 1969, we also have data on duration-specific outflow rates for the period 1984 I–96 II which encompasses the spectacular increase in unemployment in the early nineties. The empirical study shows that both the inflow and the outflow is mainly driven by variation in job opportunities. For a given vacancy-unemployment ratio, the outflow rate has fallen because of changes in unemployment compensation, demographic structure and emigration. The outflow has been only marginally affected by …

Monelta kantilta : Ilkka Nummelalle omistettu juhlakirja

Deskilling and decline in skill premium during the age of sail : Swedish and Finnish seamen, 1751–1913

The study examines the evolution of skill premium and share at industry level in shipping during the age of sail. We argue that the period from the 1750s to the 1910s represented deskilling for the seamen working in sailing ships. The growth of international trade and shipping during the first era of globalization increased the overall demand for sailors but decreased the relative demand for skilled labor in favor of less skilled ones. This deskilling was associated with a decline in wage inequality, as the premium for high skilled seamen fell relative to mean wages in the shipping industry. The decline in skill premium may have facilitated the growth of trade and shipping, as the relative …

Terveyskäyttäytyminen ja työmarkkinamenestys : mitä geenit kertovat

Terveys vaikuttaa monella tavalla yksilön hyvinvointiin. Geneettiset aineistot mahdollistavat tutkimusasetelmat, joiden avulla voidaan tarkastella terveyden ja terveyskäyttäytymisen vaikutuksia työmarkkina-asemaan kuten ansiotasoon. Lisäksi geneettisiä tietoja hyödyntäen on tutkittu, voidaanko esimerkiksi koulutuksella vaikuttaa terveyskäyttäytymiseen. Tutkimuksissa on vahvistettu ylipainon vaikuttavan negatiivisesti menestykseen työmarkkinoilla. Tämän lisäksi tutkimuksissa on kyetty arvioimaan koulutuksen suojaavaa vaikutusta terveyteen. Geenitietojen käyttö taloustieteellisessä tutkimuksessa on vasta alkumetreillä. nonPeerReviewed

Effect of Information Intervention on Prescribing Practice for Neuropathic Pain in Older Patients : A Nationwide Register-Based Study

Introduction Management of prescription medicines is challenging for older patients due to frail health and the prevalence of multiple chronic conditions. A salient policy challenge of prescribing practices is that all physicians are not well informed about the national clinical guidelines. A feasible policy intervention to mitigate the harms caused by Potentially Inappropriate Medications is to influence the frequency of prescribing and other prescribing attributes of the drugs by providing accurate and up-to-date information about the national clinical guidelines. Objectives The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a nationwide information intervention on physicians’ presc…

Income and Physical Activity among Adults: Evidence from Self-Reported and Pedometer-Based Physical Activity Measurements

This study examined the relationship between income and physical activity by using three measures to illustrate daily physical activity: the self-reported physical activity index for leisure-time physical activity, pedometer-based total steps for overall daily physical activity, and pedometer-based aerobic steps that reflect continuous steps for more than 10 min at a time. The study population consisted of 753 adults from Finland (mean age 41.7 years; 64% women) who participated in 2011 in the follow-up of the ongoing Young Finns study. Ordinary least squares models were used to evaluate the associations between income and physical activity. The consistency of the results was explored by us…

Palkkatasa-arvo julkisyhteisössä - havaintoja suomalaisesta yliopistosta

Wages and productivity growth in the Nordic countries

Abstract The study examines growth in productivity and real wages in four Nordic countries, viz. Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, thus extending Gordon's (1987) analysis concentrating on the U.S., Japan and Europe. The results confirm certain key findings of Gordon's (1987) study. In particular, the cyclically adjusted measures of productivity growth confirm the slowdown in productivity growth in the mid-1970s. Gordon's finding that there are considerable differences across the different sectors of the economy is similarly supported. As far as country-specific development in productivity growth is concerned, the results imply that there are considerable inter-country differences which G…

Gene-environment interactions between education and body mass: Evidence from the UK and Finland

More education is associated with a lower body mass index (BMI) and likelihood of being overweight. However, since a large proportion of the variation in body mass is due to genetic makeup, it has been hypothesized that education may moderate the genetic risk. We estimate main associations between (i) education, (ii) genetic risk, and (iii) interactions between education and genetic risk on BMI and the probability of being overweight in the UK and Finland. The estimates show that education is negatively associated with BMI and overweightness, and genetic risk is positively associated. However, the interactions between education and genetic risk are small and statistically insignificant. pee…

Aluetaloustieteen opetus ja tutkimus Jyväskylän yliopistossa

Does education protect against depression? Evidence from the Young Finns Study using Mendelian randomization

Using participants (N = 1733) drawn from the nationally representative longitudinal Young Finns Study (YFS) we estimate the effect of education on depressive symptoms. In 2007, when the participants were between 30 and 45 years old, they reported their depressive symptoms using a revised version of Beck's Depression Inventory. Education was measured using register information on the highest completed level of education in 2007, which was converted to years of education. To identify a causal relationship between education and depressive symptoms we use an instrumental variables approach (Mendelian randomization, MR) with a genetic risk score as an instrument for years of education. The genet…

Matching in thin labour markets: panel data evidence from Finland, 1991-2002

The matching function that postulates a relationship between the flow of new matches and stock of job seekers and vacancies has attracted considerable attention, both theoretical and empirical during the last decade. In this paper the properties of a matching function are examined by using a large panel data set from Finland. The data has a high frequency and it is highly disaggregated, comprising monthly data on 174 work-to-travel areas from a 12-year period between January 1991 and August 2002. We test for density effects, i.e. the importance of the size of markets on matching efficiency. The robustness and importance of our empirical findings are guaranteed by the quality of data. First …

Estimating regional differences in returns to education when schooling and location are determined endogenously

While the growing supply of university skills is known to have agglomerated towards the large centers in Finland, there is no research knowledge available on the development of regional demands. This paper attempts to fill this gap by analyzing regional variation in the private-sector return to university education in Finland for the period 1970 - 2004. In the analysis, we focus on studying 1) whether there are differences in the return to university between different region types, and 2) to what extent can these differences - if they exist - be explained by differences in regional skill supply and unemployment. For the econometric analysis, we use a large register-based dataset constructed…

Koulutus on investointi

Institutions, Incentives and Trade Union Membership

The study investigates the determinants of unionization in a country — Finland — where union density, defined as the number of unionized members divided by the labour force, has risen 60 percentage points in 32 years, from 22 percent in 1960 to 82 percent in 1992. The theoretical framework of the study is based on the background information obtained from surveys inquiring why individuals join a union. The empirical analysis for the period 1962–92 shows that the model is capable of explaining long-run trends in union density in a very satisfactory manner. The results imply that institutional features of the labour market, characterized by the benefit mark-up variable and a dummy variable cap…

The role of personal and relative job performance in promotion decisions

This study employs personnel data from a large university to examine how supervisors utilize information on employees' job performance in promotion decisions. The study shows that better-performing employees are rewarded with promotions as a higher output of peer-reviewed publications and better quality of research output are associated with a higher probability of being promoted. The study also shows that supervisors compare their subordinates' job performance when deciding on promotions: employees who outperform their colleagues in terms of research output and research quality are more likely to be promoted. Subsequently, the study provides evidence to support the key premise of the tourn…

Depressive symptoms and long-term income: The Young Finns Study

Abstract Background Higher depressive symptoms have been associated with lower future income. However, studies examining this issue have had limited follow-up times and have used self-reported measures of income. Also, possible confounders or mediators have not been accounted. Methods 971 women and 738 men were selected from the ongoing prospective Young Finns Study (YFS) that began in 1980. Depressive symptoms were measured in 1992 when participants were from 15 to 30 years old. Information on annual income and earnings from 1993 to 2010 were obtained from the Finnish Longitudinal Employer-Employee Data (FLEED) of Statistics Finland and linked to the YFS. Results Higher depressive symptoms…

Creatine and entrepreneurship

Creatine is a nitrogenous organic acid which supplies energy to body cells and enhances physical performance. Using the Young Finns Study combined with the Finnish Linked employer-employee data we show that quantities of creatine measured in 1980 prior to labour market entry affect entrepreneurial success as measured by capital income accumulation over the period 1993–2010 (in particular for females). However, we do not find evidence that creatine affects the propensity to become an entrepreneur. Our study contributes to the emerging literature on biomarkers and entrepreneurship. peerReviewed

Wage Effects of Firm Size : Evidence from Linked Employer-Employee Panel

This study explores the relationship between wages and firm size using large registered data and different identification strategies. We found that the effect of firm size on wages is negligible when worker and firm characteristics are accounted for. The findings are robust across identification strategies and numerous covariates. The findings are also consistent with the view that coordinated wage-setting systems narrow wage distributions. peerReviewed

Vuoden 1997 työmarkkinauudistus ja ammattikouluttamattomien nuorten NEET-aste

Vuoden 1997 työmarkkinatukiuudistuksen tavoitteena oli aktivoida alle 25-vuotiaiden ammattikouluttamattomien nuorten osallistumista työmarkkinoille ja koulutukseen. Tässä artikkelissa raportoidaan arvioita uudistuksen vaikutuksista 22–24-vuotiaiden NEET-asteeseen, joka mittaa työvoiman ulkopuolella ja työttömänä olevien osuutta ikäryhmästä. Tilastollisessa tarkastelussa hyödynnetään Tilastokeskuksen rekisteriaineistoa. Tutkimusmenetelmänä on difference-in-differences – analyysi, jossa uudistuksen kohteeksi joutuneen toimenpideryhmän työmarkkinakehitystä verrataan verrokkiryhmän kehitykseen. Tulosten mukaan työmarkkinauudistus alensi peruskoulun käyneiden ammattikouluttamattomien 22–24-vuoti…

The challenges of GxE research: A rejoinder

Talouspolitiikassa ollaan ennusteuralla

Personality and Labour Market Income: Evidence from Longitudinal Data

This study contributes to the literature on how personality is rewarded in the labour market by examining the relationship between personality and labour market income. Our results suggest that adulthood extraversion is positively associated with income when education, work experience, and unemployment history, measured prospectively from longitudinal data, are controlled for. In addition, childhood constructiveness indicating active and well-controlled behaviour has a positive association with income in adulthood.

Birth weight, adult weight, and cardiovascular biomarkers : Evidence from the Cardiovascular Young Finns Study

This study quantifies the causal effect of birth weight on cardiovascular biomarkers in adulthood using the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (YFS). We apply a multivariable Mendelian randomization (MVMR) method that provides a novel approach to improve inference in causal analysis based on a mediation framework. The results show that birth weight is linked to triglyceride levels (β = −0.294; 95% CI [−0.591, 0.003]) but not to low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels (β = 0.007; 95% CI [−0.168, 0.183]). The total effect of birth weight on triglyceride levels is partly offset by a mediation pathway linking birth weight to adult BMI (β = 0.111; 95% CI [−0.013, 0.234]). The nega…

Economic burden of low physical activity and high sedentary behaviour in Finland

BackgroundLow physical activity and high sedentary behaviour are unquestionably relevant for public health while also increasing direct and indirect costs.MethodsThe authors examined the direct and indirect costs attributable to low physical activity and high sedentary behaviour in Finland in 2017. Costs related to major non-communicable diseases drawn from Finnish registries covered direct costs (outpatient visits, days of inpatient care, medication and institutional eldercare) and indirect costs (sickness-related absences, disability pensions, unemployment benefits, all-cause mortality and losses of income tax revenue). Prevalences of low physical activity and high sedentary behaviour (≥8…

The challenges of GxE research : A rejoinder

Spatial variation in the development of the return to university education in Finland, 1970-2004

While the growing supply of university skills is known to have agglomerated towards the large centers in Finland, there is no research knowledge available on the development of regional demands. This paper attempts to fill this gap by analyzing regional variation in the private-sector return to university education in Finland for the period 1970-2004. In the analysis, we focus on studying 1) whether there are differences in the return to university between different region types, and 2) to what extent can these differences - if they exist - be explained by differences in regional skill supply and unemployment. For the econometric analysis, we use a large register-based dataset constructed b…