Have Labour Market Reforms at the Turn of the Millennium Changed Job Durations of the New Entrants? A Comparative Study for Germany and Italy

Contributo di ricerca. Published on Journal of Labor Research. IZA DP 4591 According to the aims of the labour market reforms implemented in many European countries during the 90s, workers may stay at their first job for a shorter time, but should be able to switch jobs easily. The authors investigate whether there is a trade-off between job stability and job opportunities in Germany and Italy in the period of labour market reforms. With the exception of German males, the evidence for both countries is of decreased job durations not compensated by an improvement in the opportunity to find another job rapidly, especially for the weaker segments of the labour force, like women.