000			01119nam a22001457a 4500
999			_c517948 _d517948
008			210806b ||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
100			_aPrager, Elena and Schmitt, Matt _928348
245			_aEmployer consolidation and wages: Evidence from hospitals
260			_aThe American Economic Review
300			_a3(2), Feb, 2021: p.397-427
520			_aWe test whether wage growth slows following employer consolidation by examining hospital mergers. We find evidence of reduced wage growth in cases where both (i) the increase in concentration induced by the merger is large and (ii) workers' skills are industry-specific. In all other cases, we fail to reject zero wage effects. We consider alternative explanations and find that the observed patterns are unlikely to be explained by merger-related changes besides labor market power. Wage growth slowdowns are attenuated in markets with strong labor unions, and wage growth does not decline after out-of-market mergers that leave local employer concentration unchanged. – Reproduced
773			_aThe American Economic Review
906			_aWAGES
942			_cAR