The Anatomy of Polarization: Evidence from Worker Flows

Fabio Cerina (), Elisa Dienesch (), Alex Monge-Naranjo () and Alessio Moro
Additional contact information
Fabio Cerina: University of Cagliari and CRENoS
Elisa Dienesch: University of Cagliari, CRENoS, and AMSE
Alex Monge-Naranjo: Atlanta FED, Emory University and CEPR

No 18826, IZA Discussion Papers from IZA Network @ LISER

Abstract: Using a French administrative panel following workers over 1984-2021, we quantify how worker flows account for employment polarization. We trace job-to-job flows across manual, routine, and abstract occupations, and flows between employment and non-employment. Polarization emerges after 1994 mostly through a shift in the latter: a collapse in entry into routine jobs, concentrated in routine-cognitive occupations. Job-to-job upgrading from routine to abstract remains large and stable, with non-college workers accounting for 76% of net flows. Manual employment grows mainly by absorbing entrants. Polarization reflects sorting at entry and re-entry rather than incumbent displacement, motivating life-cycle models incorporating both margins.

Keywords: labor market polarization; worker flows; occupational mobility; routine-biased technological change; longitudinal data (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J21 J24 J62 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-07
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://docs.iza.org/dp18826.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: The Anatomy of Polarization. Evidence from Worker Flows (2026)
Working Paper: The Anatomy of Polarization - Evidence from Worker Flows (2026)
Working Paper: The Anatomy of Polarization: Evidence from Worker Flows (2026)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18826

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in IZA Discussion Papers from IZA Network @ LISER Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Mark Fallak ().