Learning and Work Hybrid Seminars, Maastricht University, SBE, Spring 2025

When: June, 10
Time: 12h00 – 13h00
Where: TS49-0.003 (ROA-lounge)

Speaker: Hannah Illing (University of Bonn)

Title: Hiring and the Dynamics of the Gender Gap

Abstract: We investigate how the same hiring opportunity leads to different labor market outcomes for male and female full-time workers. Using administrative data from Germany spanning 1981 to 2016, we analyze firms’ wage-setting behavior in response to exogenous vacancies caused by sudden worker deaths. By identifying external replacement workers, we compare positions that, ex-ante, are equally likely to hire a male or female worker. Our analysis shows that female replacement workers’ starting wages are, on average, 11 log points lower than those of equally productive male counterparts. This gap is unlikely to be explained by differences in hours, within-firm adjustments, or outside options. Instead, the results suggest that firms may statistically discriminate by gender and that differences in worker bargaining play an important role. The gender hiring opportunity gap is lower in contexts where gender equality norms are stronger. These findings suggest that a significant portion of the gender wage gap originates within firms at the hiring stage, contributing to our understanding of the mechanisms behind persistent gender disparities in wages. 

Upcoming scheduled seminars:
24-6-2025 Brigitte Schels (Paris Lodron University Salzburg)
1-7-2025   Ulf Zölitz (University of Zurich)

January 14, 2025 Lorenzo Navarini (University of Vienna) - “Changes in Returns to Multidimensional Skills across Cohorts”
January 28, 2025 Elke Claes (MILE/ ROA) - Private vs. Public Schooling: The Role of School Composition
February 11, 2025 Jonas Detemple (BIBB/University of Bamberg) - Career Success of Mothers and Fathers - The Role of Local Public Childcare (joint w/ Katarina Weßling & Dominik Becker)
February 25, 2025 Mantej Pardesi (ROA-Maastricht University) - Technology, Capital Vintages and Training - Role of capital investments in firm’s skill formation strategy
March 18, 2025 Pelin Özgül and Nicholas Rounding (ROA Maastricht University) - Artificial Intelligence in Coaching: Improving Productivity and Communication Quality for Call Center Agents
April 1, 2025 Benjamin Krebs (University of Basel) - Air Pollution and U.S. internal migration: Evidence from coal-fired power plants
May 6, 2025 Jean-William P. Laliberté - University of Calgary - Social Connections and the Persistence of Income Across Generations
May 20, 2025 Sergio Para Cely - ROA, Maastricht University - Preferences for Job Amenities among Digital Platform Workers: Evidence from the Netherlands