Effect of cognitive abilities and non-cognitive abilities on labor wages: empirical evidence from the Chinese Employer-Employee -质量院英文网
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Effect of cognitive abilities and non-cognitive abilities on labor wages: empirical evidence from the Chinese Employer-Employee

March 11, 2017

Fan Yu, Chu Wang, Jun Shen, Yuxuan Shi & Tang Li


Abstract

The existing literature suggests that worker’s cognitive and non-cognitive abilities have a significant impact on wages. However, presently there is little research in this area of China’s labor force, due to scanty data. To this end, this Paper conducted a CEES-based data research, which found that, the cognitive and non-cognitive abilities of male, skilled workers have a greater impact on their wages, as compared with those of the female, unskilled workers. The OLS regression based on the Mincer Wage Equation found that, the impact of non-cognitive abilities on wages is generally larger than that of the cognitive abilities. All cognitive abilities have a positive impact on wages, wherein English proficiency has the greatest elasticity of wages, which is 12.1%. Of all non-cognitive abilities, Conscientiousness has the highest wage elasticity, which is 13.6%, whereas Agreeableness has a negative wage elasticity of −6.32%.


Abbreviations: CEES: Chinese Employer-Employee Survey OLS: Ordinary least squares


KEYWORDS: CEES, cognitive abilities, non-cognitive abilities, labor wages

JEL CLASSIFICATION: O15, O18, E24


Full text: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17538963.2016.1274005