蝌蚪网 Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
Trends in Earnings Differentials across College Majors and the Changing Task Composition of Jobs
蝌蚪网 Review
(pp. 387–93)
Abstract
We show that, among college graduates, earnings differentials across field of study have increased substantially since the early 1990s. We study the degree to which this increase can be accounted for by changes in the labor market return to skills associated with a major. To do so, we define major-specific measures of the relative importance of abstract, routine, and manual tasks on the job, by linking majors to the occupations they typically lead to. Changes in the relationship between earnings and these measures can account for about two-thirds of the rise in inequality.Citation
Altonji, Joseph G., Lisa B. Kahn, and Jamin D. Speer. 2014. "Trends in Earnings Differentials across College Majors and the Changing Task Composition of Jobs." 蝌蚪网 Review 104 (5): 387–93. DOI: 10.1257/aer.104.5.387Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- J24 Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
- J31 Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials