Concentration and Mergers: Evidence from Italian Labor Markets

This article investigates the effects of labor market concentration on employment, job security, and wages. By constructing a flow-based index, I find that concentration is generally low across markets but varies across industries. Then, I use a Two-Stage Least Squares (TSLS) strategy based on the dif- ferent exposures of industries to horizontal mergers. I find that mergers increase concentration, which in turn reduces wages by −0.14 and −0.07 and hires by −0.77 and −0.68%age points. I also find that (1) concentration does not affect the likelihood of a permanent hire but increases the probability that, when a temporary worker is renewed, the contract is again temporary; (2) men are affected by concen- tration only through wages, while women are less affected but also through job security; (3) estimates magnitude increases in concentration levels.