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Real wages, inflation and labour productivity in Australia

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  • Saten Kumar
  • Don J. Webber
  • Geoff Perry
Abstract
This article presents an analysis of real wages, inflation and labour productivity interrelationships using cointegration, Granger causality and, most importantly, structural change tests. Applications of tests to Australian data over the 1965 to 2007 period corroborate the presence of a structural break in 1985 and show that a 1% increase in manufacturing sector real wages led to an increase in manufacturing sector productivity of between 0.5% and 0.8%. Comparable estimates for the effect of inflation on manufacturing sector productivity have limited statistical significance. Granger causality test results suggest that real wages and inflation both Granger cause productivity in the long run.

Suggested Citation

  • Saten Kumar & Don J. Webber & Geoff Perry, 2012. "Real wages, inflation and labour productivity in Australia," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(23), pages 2945-2954, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:44:y:2012:i:23:p:2945-2954
    DOI: 10.1080/00036846.2011.568405
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    2. Ghulam Sarwar & Muhammad Fayyaz Sheikh & Iqra Rabnawaz, 2021. "Factors Affecting Labor Productivity: An Empirical Evidence from Pakistan," Journal of Economic Impact, Science Impact Publishers, vol. 3(3), pages 221-226.
    3. Josheski, Dushko & Bardarova, Snezana, 2013. "Causal relationship between wages and prices in R. Macedonia: VECM analysis," MPRA Paper 48179, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Hansa Jain, 2019. "Wage–Productivity Relationship in Indian Manufacturing Industries: Evidences from State-level Panel Data," Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 13(3), pages 277-305, August.
    5. Vincent Dadam & Nicola Viegi, 2021. "Estimating a New Keynesian Wage Phillips Curve," Working Papers 202107, University of Pretoria, Department of Economics.
    6. Nurliyana Mohd Basri & Zulkefly Abdul Karim & Noorasiah Sulaiman, 2020. "The Effects of Factors of Production Shocks on Labor Productivity: New Evidence Using Panel VAR Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-23, October.
    7. Sangjun Jeong, 2017. "Biased Technical Change and Economic Growth: The Case of Korea, 1970–2013," Research in Political Economy, in: Return of Marxian Macro-Dynamics in East Asia, volume 32, pages 81-103, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    8. Josheski, Dushko & Lazarov, Darko & Fotov, Risto & Koteski, Cane, 2011. "Causal relationship between wages and prices in UK: VECM analysis and Granger causality testing," MPRA Paper 34095, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Chor Foon Tang, 2014. "The effect of real wages and inflation on labour productivity in Malaysia," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(3), pages 311-322, May.
    10. Antonio Paradiso & Saten Kumar & B. Bhaskara Rao, 2013. "A New Keynesian IS curve for Australia: is it forward looking or backward looking?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(26), pages 3691-3700, September.
    11. Nir Klein, 2012. "Real Wage, Labor Productivity, and Employment Trends in South Africa: A Closer Look," IMF Working Papers 2012/092, International Monetary Fund.
    12. Tomás Gómez Rodríguez & Humberto Ríos Bolívar & Ali Aali Bujari, 2018. "Salario eficiente y crecimiento económico para el caso de América Latina. (Efficient wages and Economic Growth in Latin America)," Ensayos Revista de Economia, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Facultad de Economia, vol. 0(2), pages 213-235, October.
    13. Manuel David Cruz, 2022. "Labor productivity, real wages, and employment: evidence from a panel of OECD economies over 1960-2019," Working Papers PKWP2203, Post Keynesian Economics Society (PKES).
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    JEL classification:

    • C50 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - General
    • E23 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Production

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