Empleo y carreras laborales en el servicio de Correos de España, 1890-1935

This paper studies the organization of the internal labour market of postal services in Spain from 1890 to 1935. The paper discusses the evolution of total employment in relation to postal traffic and average nominal and real wages. The paper then analyses the operation of the internal labour market for civil servants. There is an unsurprising steep wage-age gradient, in line with theories of deferred compensation in large, service firms. Voluntary or disciplinary separations were extremely rare. A career in the postal services offered higher entry wages, a growing wage over the life cycle and a secure job until retirement. There were two downsides to pursuing a career in the postal services. Firstly, entry and promotion depended crucially on the expansion of total employment for administrative personnel, which in turn depended on the fiscal position of the state. Secondly, nominal wages were upward rigid in the event of inflationary episodes, leading to substantial deterioration of real wages during the years of WW1.