ABSTRACT
Everyday life observations of workers lead us to think that quits, disciplinary dismissals and layoffs, although corresponding to separations from the firm, are different phenomena. When possible, the official statistics disaggregate the separation flows, as well as some others (retirements, end of fixed duration contracts). The Labour Law in France also distinguishes these flows, and the severance indemnities are different. This means that firms have incentives to provoke some types of separation rather than others, namely quits rather than dismissals and dismissals rather than layoffs, by increasing order of cost. Matching theory, however, tends to stress the unity of the separation motive, namely the joint value of the match (Jovanovic 1979).
