網際網路、斜槓與薪資報酬

THE INTERNET, SLASH, AND WAGE

儘管國內外有許多政策決策者試圖以網際網路的可及性作為抗貧或降低城鄉差距的手段，相關文獻對於網際網路技術所產生的經濟影響仍普遍缺乏同等的認知。有鑑於此，本文主要使用1996-2005年的「家庭收支調查」，研究網際網路對個人的勞動供給行為與地區薪資不均度的影響。其中，本文係以個人具備上網能力的虛擬變數與其所居住之縣市於29年前的市內電話用戶數密度作為個人上網行為的工具變數。實證結果顯示網際網路的發展對個人就業的機率雖不具有任何統計顯著的影響；旦其卻能大幅地增加個人多元職業的機率。另外，本文亦發現資訊與通信科技的應用將可能擴大地區薪資間的不均度。

An increase in overall Internet penetration is widely considered by policymakers as a viable way to combat poverty and close the urban-rural wage gap. Few studies, however, provide empirical evidence on the economic impact of the Internet. In this paper, we use the 1996–2005 sets of Family Income and Expenditure Survey to study the effects of the Internet on individual labor supply behavior and regional wage inequality. In an empirical model of labor supply, we use an Internet-enabled employee dummy and the density of local telephone subscribers twenty-nine years ago as instruments for the household Internet adoption variable. The empirical results suggest that the Internet does not have any statistical effect on individuals finding a job, whereas it indeed helps those employees developing multiple careers. In addition, our results show that the Internet might exacerbate regional wage inequality.