This book examines theories of firm-level human capital investment with respect to topics in labor demand, macroeconomics (especially connected to unemployment), and firm-union bargaining. It covers a wide range of related policy issues, including the worksharing versus layoff debate, wage-tenure profiles, taxation and the choice between pure wages and profit sharing compensation, and the role of specific investment in the Japanese firm versus the traditional (United States) neoclassical firm.

Numerous individuals throughout international labour markets work hours in excess of their standard contractual hours. Overtime working is a vital consideration in the employment and wage decisions of many households and firms. From a policy perspective, overtime is at the centre of interest in the work sharing/unemployment trade off. Robert Hart presents the first comprehensive economic evaluation of this phenomenon, examining theoretical, empirical and policy aspects of overtime hours and pay. In a comparative assessment of labour supply, labour demand and compensating differential models of overtime behaviour, he utilises detailed international evidence drawn from the United States, Western Europe and Japan. Policy initiatives linked to job creation, work sharing, absenteeism and payroll taxation are critically assessed and presented in an intuitive manner. Displaying analytical rigour and empirical expertise, Robert Hart's work extends far beyond a mere summary of existing research to enliven and inform debate.

This book examines human capital investment, employment and bargaining at the level of the firm. It attempts a summary of results that incorporate both human capital investment and employment decisions within firm union bargaining models, emphasising investment in teams, or groups, of workers. The authors also examine human capital in relation to labour demand as well as the delineation between neoclassical and coalitional firms. Further they investigate connections between, on the one hand, turnover costs and firm-specific human capital and, on the other, unemployment. Labour market policy topics recur throughout the book and include the choice between pure wage and profit sharing remuneration systems, the issue of whether training should be subsidized by governments, and work-sharing versus layoff decisions. This book is aimed mainly at the academic economics profession, but is easily accessible to final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Provides a detailed discussion of all aspects of employment (including recruitment, tenure, turnover, promotion, labor force participation, unemployment, and retirement) and labor payments (wages, bonus payments, non-wage costs) in the Japanese labor market. All topics are discussed in relation to comparable experience in the United States and Europe. A major theme concerns whether or not key features of Japanese labor market institutions and practices differ from competitor economies.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of Japanese labour market institutions and practices with respect to employment issues and labour payments. It contains extensive discussion of the effects of industrial relations, small business activity, business cycles and schooling on work and pay. An early chapter is devoted to presenting, in an accessible manner, essential labour market ideas and concepts that recur throughout the text. Important topics covered include (i) unions and wage determination, (ii) the breakdown of total labour costs, (iii) the Japanese bonus system, (iv) the employment life-cycle, (v) small businesses and subcontracting, (vi) pay and productivity over the business cycle. A key feature is that subject areas and themes are examined within a comparative United States/European framework. This allows assessments of whether or not the structure and performance of the Japanese labour market has differed from experience elsewhere.