Wage differentials across sectors in Europe: An east-west comparison

Using a unique harmonized linked employer–employee dataset, this paper analyses the structure and determinants of inter-industry wage differentials in Central and Eastern European countries (Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland) and compares them to those observed in Western European states. Findings show substantial differences in earnings across sectors in all countries, even when controlling for a wide range of employee, job and employer characteristics. The hierarchy of sectors in terms of wages appears to be quite similar in Eastern and Western European countries, although the former tend to have higher levels of dispersion of inter-industry wage differentials.FLWIN