Occupational Mobility of Routine Workers

41 Pages Posted: 22 Mar 2021

See all articles by Terhi Maczulskij

Terhi Maczulskij

University of Jyväskylä - School of Business and Economics

Abstract

This paper analyzes whether occupational polarization takes place within workers or due to changes in the composition of workers by using comprehensive panel data from Finland. The decomposition analysis shows that the decrease in mid-level routine occupations and the simultaneous increase in high-level abstract occupations is largely a within-worker phenomenon. In contrast, the share of low-skilled nonroutine manual tasks has largely increased through entry dynamics. Data on plant closures are used to identify involuntary separations from routine occupations. These results demonstrate a strong, uneven adjustment pattern, with routine cognitive workers being more able to move to abstract tasks and adjust with smaller wage costs than routine manual workers.

JEL Classification: J23, J62

Suggested Citation

Maczulskij, Terhi, Occupational Mobility of Routine Workers. IZA Discussion Paper No. 14190, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3808453 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3808453

Terhi Maczulskij (Contact Author)

University of Jyväskylä - School of Business and Economics ( email )

University of Jyväskylä
PO Box 35
FIN 40351, FIN-40014
Finland

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