Diferenciales Salariales en Colombia: Un Análisis para Trabajadores Rurales y Jóvenes, 2002-2009

Abstract

This paper examines the trends and magnitude of earnings differentials among urban and rural workers, and young (18-24 years) and old (25-65 years) workers from 2002 to 2009 in Colombia. Using household surveys data and constructing cells for comparing only workers with the same characteristics, the results from time series and matching decomposition methodologies show that earnings in the groups of interest have not diverged over time. However, the earnings differentials are high at around –50 percent for rural and –40 percent for young workers, of which 14 and 19 percentage points, respectively, remain unexplained after controlling for demographic and job-related characteristics.