Computing inequality: have computers changed the labor market?
Abstract
This paper examines the effect of skill-biased technological change as measured by computerization on the recent widening of U. S. educational wage differentials. An analysis of aggregate changes in the relative supplies and wages of workers by education from 1940 to 1996 indicates strong and persistent growth in relative demand favoring college graduates. Rapid skill upgrading within detailed industries accounts for most of the growth in the relative demand for college workers, particularly since 1970. Analyses of four data sets indicate that the rate of skill upgrading has been greater in more computer-intensive industries.
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Income distribution becomes dependent on changes in the skill composition of workers and the skill-biased nature of technological progress.
“Therefore, the income distribution becomes dependent on the changes in the skill composition of workers and skill-biased nature of technological progress (see, for instance, Berman et al., 1994;Autor et al., 1998;Piva and Vivarelli, 2004;Acemoglu and Autor, 2011).”
From Financialization and the Labor Share of Income (2019) · cites this paper as Autor et al., 1998
Some technologies, like personal computers, have been complementary mostly to educated workers.
“Some of these technologies, like personal computers, have been complementary mostly to educated workers (63, 64)”
From The impact of generative artificial intelligence on socioeconomic inequalities and policy making (2024) · cites this paper as [63]
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- Authors
- Autor, D. H., Katz, L. F., & Krueger, A. B.
- Affiliations
- National Bureau of Economic Research (US)
- ORCID
- Autor, D. H.
- Venue
- The Quarterly Journal of Economics
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 1998-11-01
- Volume
- 113
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 1169-1213
- ISSN
- 0033-5533 (ISSN-L)
- 1531-4650
- OpenAlex
- W2117735259
- Cited by
- 1,830
- References
- 43
- Citations by year
- 2026: 72 · 2025: 76 · 2024: 77 · 2023: 76 · 2022: 68 · 2021: 85 · 2020: 84 · 2019: 75 · 2018: 97 · 2017: 82 · 2016: 63 · 2015: 68 · 2014: 62 · 2013: 71 · 2012: 46
- FWCI
- 103.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Quarterly Journal of Economics (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Labor market dynamics and wage inequality
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › General Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Global trade and economics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies
- Keywords
- skill-biased technological change, computerization, university graduates, skill upgrading, labor market, wage inequality, educational attainment and wages
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