The Great Reversal in the Demand for Skill and Cognitive Tasks

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Beaudry, Paul; Green, David A.; Sand, Benjamin M.
• 署名单位: University of British Columbia; National Bureau of Economic Research; University of British Columbia; University of London; London School Economics & Political Science; York University - Canada
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF LABOR ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0734-306X
• DOI: 10.1086/682347
• 发表日期: 2016
• 页码: S199-S247
• 关键词: us labor-market; wage inequality; polarization; education; ability; GROWTH; jobs

摘要

This paper argues that several of the poor labor market outcomes observed in the Great Recession can be traced back to a change in the demand pattern for skilled workers that started with the tech bust of 2000. In particular, we show that around the year 2000, the demand for cognitive tasks underwent a reversal. In response, high-skilled workers moved down the occupational ladder and increasingly displaced lower-educated workers in less skill-intensive jobs. While these effects were present before the financial crisis of 2008, they became more obvious after jobs associated with the housing bubble disappeared.