Premium
Labor Market Dynamics in the U.S. Food Sector
Author(s) -
Lee David R.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
american journal of agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.949
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1467-8276
pISSN - 0002-9092
DOI - 10.2307/1241979
Subject(s) - economics , productivity , commodity , wage , food prices , commodity market , food industry , price shock , labour economics , monetary economics , microeconomics , food security , macroeconomics , agriculture , market economy , ecology , finance , biology , political science , law
A simultaneous equation model is estimated to explain labor market phenomena (including wages, employment, and labor productivity) and food prices at manufacturing and retail levels of the U.S. food industry. Dynamic simulation results show that endogenizing input costs in a fully specified markup‐pricing model leads to a complex long‐run pattern of food price determination. Wage determination is found to play a central role linking general price levels to food sector prices and labor market behavior. Energy price changes are shown to significantly affect food prices. Food sector labor productivity is found to decline in response to exogenous commodity price shocks.