M&As, Employee Costs and Labor Reallocation
107 Pages Posted: 20 Apr 2020 Last revised: 9 Jun 2022
Date Written: January 24, 2019
Abstract
Mergers are associated with large and persistent earnings declines for incumbent employees. Using employer-employee administrative data linked with information on merger activity in Brazil, I find earnings declines are entirely driven by employees who exit target firms and explained by displacement in the short run and wage declines in the long run. Losses of firm-specific wage premiums account for the long-lasting adverse outcomes with employees transitioning to lower-paying, lower-quality firms. Reallocation costs are concentrated among low-skilled and "overplaced employees." I argue that rent extraction from employees in firms paying high premiums is a potential source of efficiency gains in mergers.
Keywords: M&As, Displacement, Labor Mobility, Employer Fixed Effects
JEL Classification: G34, J2, J3
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation