Tommaso Colussi

“Wage determination in Italy: productivity and statistical discrimination”

The aim of my research is to analyze the determinants of wages depending on the groups workers belong to; in particular if there exist some forms of statistical discrimination.
I would like to show if the impact of some observable characteristics (such as age, gender, education) on wages decreases as the time spent by the worker in the firm.
The salary of a new worker depends on his expected productivity, which is determined by his CV (observable) and by his latent productivity (that the employer does not observe, but the econometrician does). When the employer becomes aware of worker’s true productivity, observable characteristics loose their significance while not observable variables will become more relevant in determining future wages.

I would like to extend the analysis to migrants in the Italian labour market.  First, I am going to look at segregation by ethnic groups within firms, and then analyze employers’ behaviour when they need to hire new workers. Then, I want to check the existence of preferences and beliefs about individuals belonging to specific groups or countries. Finally I would like to study the determinants of these preferences and to what extent they depend on previous work experiences.