• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.1-36
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• 2017

This study aimed to analyze influencing factors to increase the wage differential between large enterprise and subcontracted small-medium enterprises by using panel data composed of 19 manufacturing industries for 16 years from 1999 to 2014. According to the results of analysis, in large enterprises the elasticity of substitution between the labor inputs and the subcontracted product supplies from small-medium enterprises was significantly less than 1. So, the increase in wages of workers of large enterprises, whose degree of employment protection was relatively high, seemed to increase the share of wage cost in total cost and was resulted to decrease the cost share of subcontracted product supplies significantly. This was interpreted to be able to exert a negative influence upon the price of subcontracted product supplies and the wages of workers in subcontracted small-medium enterprises, and, therefore, to increase the wage differentials between large enterprises and subcontracted small-medium enterprises. Furthermore, it was also found that the increases in the labor union participation rate at large enterprises and the openness rate of the industry concerned were contributing to make such effects much stronger significantly. In order to mitigate the wage differentials and the polarizing trend in labor market, we can suggest to establish a certain kind of flexible wage system and to introduce co-bargaining practices with the workers of subcontracted small-medium enterprises within large enterprises, and also for the workers of small-medium enterprises, to prepare new social systems to upgrade their human resources and job skills drastically.