Height, Skills, and Labor Market Outcomes in Mexico

Tom Vogl

No 18318, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Taller workers are paid higher wages. A prominent explanation for this pattern is that physical growth and cognitive development share childhood inputs, inducing a correlation between adult height and two productive skills: strength and intelligence. This paper explores the relative roles of strength and intelligence in explaining the labor market height premium in Mexico. While cognitive test scores account for a limited share of the height premium, roughly half of the premium can be attributed to the educational and occupational choices of taller workers. Taller workers obtain more education and sort into occupations with greater intelligence requirements and lower strength requirements, suggesting that the height premium partly reflects a return to cognitive skill.

JEL-codes: I15 J24 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev, nep-lab and nep-lma
Note: CH EH LS
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

Published as “Height, Skills, and Labor Market Outcomes in Mexico.” Journal of Development Economics, March 2014, 107: 84-­‐‑96.

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