The Determinants of Queues for Federal Jobs

Alan B. Krueger

NBER Working Paper No. 2499 (Also Reprint No. r1079)
Issued in December 1988
NBER Program(s):   LS

This paper examines the determinants of the number and quality of outside applicants for federal job openings using a variety of time-series, cross-sectional and panel data sets. The main finding is that the application rate for government jobs increases as the ratio of federal to private sector earnings Increases, but does not appear to be related to the relative level of fringe benefits. Furthermore, an Increase in the federal-private sector earnings differential is associated with an increase in the average quality of applicants for federal jobs. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for wage determination and recruitment in the federal government.

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Published: Krueger, Alan B. "The Determinants of Queues for Federal Jobs," from the Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 41, No. 4, pp. 567-581, July 1988.

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