Description

We study how working for a startup affects labor market outcomes using Chilean employer-employee data. Findings reveal that joining a startup results in a 6.7% reduction in earnings over the next five years, with half attributed to lower average earnings and a half to spending more time out of formal employment. Workers at startups also exhibit a lower probability of being employed and experiencing job-to-job transitions. They also hold fewer jobs. These effects are persistent but vary across worker and firm characteristics. In particular, startups that survive have a smaller earnings penalty, while top-performing startups offer an earnings premium.