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Technological change and labour market trends in Latin America and the Caribbean: a task content approach

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  • Zunino, Gonzalo
  • Apella, Ignacio

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyse employment profile trends in the Latin American and Caribbean countries according to the task content of workers’ jobs. This analysis seeks to approximate the impact of technological change on the labour market. The paper uses the definitions of an indicator that captures the relative importance of four types of tasks, namely cognitive versus manual and routine versus non-routine tasks, based on information from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) and household surveys. The analysis finds that there has been growing demand for workers over the last two decades in occupations which are intensive in cognitive abilities, with higher remuneration than for occupations which are intensive in manual tasks. Cognitive skills are therefore a key variable for improving participation in current and future labour markets.

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  • Zunino, Gonzalo & Apella, Ignacio, 2022. "Technological change and labour market trends in Latin America and the Caribbean: a task content approach," Revista CEPAL, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), April.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecr:col070:48041
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    1. Apella,Ignacio Raul & Zunino,Gonzalo, 2017. "Technological change and the labor market in Argentina and Uruguay : a task content analysis," Policy Research Working Paper Series 8215, The World Bank.
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    6. Maarten Goos & Alan Manning & Anna Salomons, 2014. "Explaining Job Polarization: Routine-Biased Technological Change and Offshoring," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(8), pages 2509-2526, August.
    7. Acemoglu, Daron & Autor, David, 2011. "Skills, Tasks and Technologies: Implications for Employment and Earnings," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 12, pages 1043-1171, Elsevier.
    8. Alexandra Spitz-Oener, 2006. "Technical Change, Job Tasks, and Rising Educational Demands: Looking outside the Wage Structure," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 24(2), pages 235-270, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Roxana Maurizio & Ana Paula Monsalvo, 2021. "Changes in occupations and their task content: Implications for employment and inequality in Argentina, 2003-19," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2021-15, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

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