Acta Oeconomica
Volume/Issue:
Volume 70: Issue 1
The output employment elasticity and the increased use of temporary contracts: Evidence from Poland
Authors:
Kristof Bartosik Institute of Economics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Nowy Swiat 72, Warsaw, Poland

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Jan Mycielski Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw, Poland

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Pages:
83–104
Online Publication Date:
Mar 2020
Publication Date:
01 Mar 2020
Article Category:
Research Article
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1556/032.2020.00005
Keywords:
Okun's law; labour demand; temporary contracts; economic growth; J21; J23; E32; J41
CORRECTION TO THIS ARTICLE
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Abstract

The paper investigates how the increased use of temporary contracts in Poland affected employment elasticity with respect to output. The analysis is based on Okun's law, and covers the period of 1996–2016, with particular focus on the years of 2001–2016 when temporary jobs became prevalent. We look at the relationships between output growth and the growths of aggregate, permanent and temporary employment separately. Our study finds that the responsiveness of aggregate employment to output is positive and changes through time. Interestingly, after 2007, when the use of temporary contracts stabilised at a high level, the employment intensity of growth started decreasing. We relate this to the opposite trends in output responsiveness of temporary and permanent jobs. Elasticity of temporary job was growing, while elasticity of permanent job was decreasing. Our study also shows that initially employers adapt to output changes replacing permanent job with temporary job, next temporary contracts become the main adjustment device.

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Cover Acta Oeconomica
Acta Oeconomica Periodical of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Print ISSN:
0001-6373
Online ISSN:
1588-2659

Senior editors

Editors-in-Chief: István P. Székely, Dóra Győrffy

Editor(s): Judit Ványai

Associate Editors

  • Péter Benczúr, Joint Joint Research Center, European Commission
  • Dóra Benedek, International Monetary Fund
  • Balázs Égert, OECD
  • Dániel Prinz, World Bank
  • Rok Spruk, University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business, Slovenia

Editorial Board

  • Anders Åslund, Georgetown University and Advisory Council of CASE, USA
  • István Benczes, Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary 
  • Agnieszka Chłoń-Domińczak, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Poland
  • Fabrizio Coricelli, University of Siena, Italy
  • László Csaba, Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary and Central European University, Austria
  • Beáta Farkas, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Szeged, Hungary
  • Péter Halmai, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, and National University of Public Service, Hungary
  • Martin Kahanec, Central European University, Austria
  • Michael Landesmann, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW), Austria
  • Péter Mihályi, Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary
  • Debora Revoltella, European Investment Bank

Corvinus University of Budapest
Department of Economics
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E-mail: vanyai.judit@krtk.hu  

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Acta Oeconomica
Language English
Size B5
Year of
Foundation		 1966
Volumes
per Year		 1
Issues
per Year		 4
Founder Magyar Tudományos Akadémia
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Address		 H-1051 Budapest, Hungary, Széchenyi István tér 9.
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ISSN 0001-6373 (Print)
ISSN 1588-2659 (Online)

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