Deskilling and decline in skill premium during the age of sail: Swedish and Finnish seamen, 1751–1913

Jari Ojala, Jaakko Pehkonen and Jari Eloranta

Explorations in Economic History, 2016, vol. 61, issue C, 85-94

Abstract: The study examines the evolution of skill premium and share at industry level in shipping during the age of sail. We argue that the period from the 1750s to the 1910s represented deskilling for the seamen working in sailing ships. The growth of international trade and shipping during the first era of globalization increased the overall demand for sailors but decreased the relative demand for skilled labor in favor of less skilled ones. This deskilling was associated with a decline in wage inequality, as the premium for high skilled seamen fell relative to mean wages in the shipping industry. The decline in skill premium may have facilitated the growth of trade and shipping, as the relative costs of transport declined. This in turn might have hastened the first era of globalization.

Keywords: Occupations; Skill premium; Deskilling; Technological change; Maritime history (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J31 N33 N34 N73 N74 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:exehis:v:61:y:2016:i:c:p:85-94

DOI: 10.1016/j.eeh.2016.05.001

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