The Slow Adjustment of the American Technology Labor Force

29 Pages Posted: 24 Oct 2019 Last revised: 23 Oct 2020

See all articles by Joy Buchanan

Joy Buchanan

Samford University

Noah Leatham

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Henry Kronk

eLearning Inside

Date Written: October 15, 2019

Abstract

The number of people employed in technology (tech) fields, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, is not increasing quickly and the real wages for most positions are stagnant. We present the recent history of the United States tech labor force and an analysis of why many job openings are unfilled. Although wages are relatively high in the tech sector, offsetting costs to workers include psychological stress and poor management. Rapid change keeps the work force in a constant shortage, but education innovations such as coding bootcamps and messaging to high school students points to a workforce that will continue to gradually grow. We draw lessons for enhancing the human workforce in the face of rapid technological change.

Keywords: Digital Technologies, Human Capital, Job Choice, Labor Supply, High Skilled

JEL Classification: J44, J24

Suggested Citation

Buchanan, Joy and Leatham, Noah and Kronk, Henry, The Slow Adjustment of the American Technology Labor Force (October 15, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3470417 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3470417

Joy Buchanan (Contact Author)

Samford University ( email )

800 Lakeshore Drive
Birmingham, AL 35229
United States

Noah Leatham

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Henry Kronk

eLearning Inside ( email )

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
148
Abstract Views
890
Rank
379,861
PlumX Metrics