Putting Tasks to the Test: Human Capital, Job Tasks, and Wages
Using original, representative survey data, we document that analytical, routine, and manual job tasks can be measured with high validity, vary substantially within and between occupations, are significantly related to workers’ characteristics, and are robustly predictive of wage differences between...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
| Published: |
University of Chicago Press
2015
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/96005 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6915-9381 |
| _version_ | 1811073604974018560 |
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| author | Autor, David H. Handel, Michael J. |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Economics |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Economics Autor, David H. Handel, Michael J. |
| author_sort | Autor, David H. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Using original, representative survey data, we document that analytical, routine, and manual job tasks can be measured with high validity, vary substantially within and between occupations, are significantly related to workers’ characteristics, and are robustly predictive of wage differences between occupations and among workers in the same occupation. We offer a conceptual framework that makes explicit the causal links between human capital endowments, occupational assignment, job tasks, and wages, which motivate a Roy model of the allocation of workers to occupations. We offer two simple tests of the model’s gross predictions for the relationship between tasks and wages, both of which receive qualified empirical support. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T09:35:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/96005 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T09:35:37Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | University of Chicago Press |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/960052022-09-30T15:30:15Z Putting Tasks to the Test: Human Capital, Job Tasks, and Wages Autor, David H. Handel, Michael J. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Economics Autor, David H. Using original, representative survey data, we document that analytical, routine, and manual job tasks can be measured with high validity, vary substantially within and between occupations, are significantly related to workers’ characteristics, and are robustly predictive of wage differences between occupations and among workers in the same occupation. We offer a conceptual framework that makes explicit the causal links between human capital endowments, occupational assignment, job tasks, and wages, which motivate a Roy model of the allocation of workers to occupations. We offer two simple tests of the model’s gross predictions for the relationship between tasks and wages, both of which receive qualified empirical support. National Science Foundation (U.S.) (CAREER award SES-0239538) 2015-03-12T20:35:04Z 2015-03-12T20:35:04Z 2013-04 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0734306X 15375307 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/96005 Autor, David H., and Michael J. Handel. “Putting Tasks to the Test: Human Capital, Job Tasks, and Wages.” Journal of Labor Economics 31, no. 2, pt. 2 (April 2013): S59–S96. © 2013 University of Chicago. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6915-9381 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/669332 Journal of Labor Economics Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf University of Chicago Press University of Chicago Press |
| spellingShingle | Autor, David H. Handel, Michael J. Putting Tasks to the Test: Human Capital, Job Tasks, and Wages |
| title | Putting Tasks to the Test: Human Capital, Job Tasks, and Wages |
| title_full | Putting Tasks to the Test: Human Capital, Job Tasks, and Wages |
| title_fullStr | Putting Tasks to the Test: Human Capital, Job Tasks, and Wages |
| title_full_unstemmed | Putting Tasks to the Test: Human Capital, Job Tasks, and Wages |
| title_short | Putting Tasks to the Test: Human Capital, Job Tasks, and Wages |
| title_sort | putting tasks to the test human capital job tasks and wages |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/96005 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6915-9381 |
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