Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Series: Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers Creation-Date: 2002-06-28 Number: 02-063/3 Author-Name: Jos van Ommeren Author-Email: jommeren@feweb.vu.nl Author-Workplace-Name: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Author-Name: Arno van der Vlist Author-Email: avlist@feweb.vu.nl Author-Workplace-Name: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Author-Name: Peter Nijkamp Author-Email: pnijkamp@feweb.vu.nl Author-Workplace-Name: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Title: Transport-Related Fringe Benefits Abstract: This discussion paper resulted in a publication in the 'Journal of Regional Science', 2006, 46(3), 493-506.
Fringe benefits of various kinds have become an essential element of modern labour market mechanisms. Firms offer transport-related fringe benefits such as transport subsidies (company cars, travel and parking subsidies) and relocation subsidies to job applicants. The spatial implications of these fringe benefits have hardly received any systematic attention thus far. The present paper addresses this largely unexplored issue. Using information from a survey on firms' recruitment behaviour in the UK, this paper demonstrates that the applicants' journey-to-work time induces firms to offer various transport-related fringe benefits to job applicants. The implications of these transport-related fringe benefits for commuting and relocation are rather distinct. Transport subsidies discourage applicants, whereas relocation subsidies induce applicants to move closer to the workplace. We interpret the results as evidence that employers offer transport-related fringe benefits either to reduce the length of the journey to work or to compensate employees for the incurred commuting costs. Classification-JEL: J33; J41; R29 Keywords: fringe benefits; company car; residential mobility File-Url: https://papers.tinbergen.nl/02063.pdf File-Format: application/pdf File-Size: 152361 bytes Handle: RePEc:tin:wpaper:20020063