The fact that entrepreneurs may insulate workers’ earnings from shocks in the prod- uct market has long been recognised as an important determinant of the dynamics of wages. The rationale for such an insurance ultimately rests on the concept of implicit labour contracts originated by Azariadis (1975), Baily (1974) and Gordon (1974). A central empirical implication is that contract wages may entail implicit payments of insurance premiums by workers in favourable states of nature and the receipt of indemnities in unfavourable states
