That was then, this is now: skills and routinization in the 2000s

Davide Consoli, Francesco Vona and Francesco Rentocchini

Industrial and Corporate Change, 2016, vol. 25, issue 5, 847-866

Abstract: We analyze changes in the skill content of occupations in US four-digit manufacturing industries between 1999 and 2010. Following a “task-based” approach, we elaborate a measure of non-routine skill intensity that captures the effects of industry exposure to both technology and international trade. The article adds to previous literature by focusing on both the determinants of demand for non-routine skills and their effects on industry productivity and wages. The key finding is that import competition from low-wage countries has been a strong driver of demand for non-routine skills during the 2000s. Both technology and trade with low-wage countries are associated with mild cross-industry convergence in skill intensity, while trade with high- and medium-wage countries are at the root of persistent heterogeneity across occupational groups. We also find that higher non-routine skill intensity has had, at best, a modest effect on productivity and wages, except in high-skill occupations.

JEL-codes: F16 J21 J23 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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Related works:
Working Paper: That was then, this is now: Skills and Routinization in the 2000s (2014)
Working Paper: That was then, this is now: Skills and Routinization in the 2000s (2014)
Working Paper: That was then, this is now: Skills and Routinization in the 2000s (2014)
Working Paper: That was then, this is now: Skills and Routinization in the 2000s (2014)
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