Intrafirm Information Transfers and Wages
Posted: 18 Dec 1996
Date Written: January 1996
Abstract
Technical and other information may be a firm's most important asset. To benefit from its information, however, a firm has to reveal it to one or more employees. Better informed employees produce more, but at the same time they demand higher wages to prevent them from joining a business competitor or starting their own firm. This paper examines the strategic transfer of information by a firm to its employees over their employment lives. Generally, the firm is shown to transfer additional information to its employees each period of the employment relationship, while wages rise accordingly. An implication of the model is that more senior workers are more productive and receive higher wages because they have better access to the firm's vital information.
JEL Classification: J31, D82
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation