Are Workers Rewarded for Inconsistent Performance?

This paper examines whether workers are rewarded for inconsistent performance by salary premia. Some earlier research suggests that performance inconsistency leads to salary premia, while other research finds premia for consistent performance. Using detailed salary and performance data for top-level footballers in Italy's Serie A, we find that inconsistency is penalized for some important dimensions of basic performance measures associated with key skills of players, specifically clearances, aerial duels won, and shots on target.