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Skill demand and the comparative advantage of age: Jobs tasks and earnings from the 1980s to the 2000s in Germany

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  • Gordo, Laura Romeu
  • Skirbekk, Vegard

Abstract

We study the impact of rapid technological change on age and cohort variation in type of work and wages among German men for the 1986–2006 period. Using a task-based approach, we analyze the consequences that technological progress had on changes in the distribution of tasks performed by the men and the relative wages they received. Technological changes implied fewer physically demanding job tasks and a growing use of cognitive skills, particularly tasks where fluid cognitive abilities are important. A number of earlier physiological and cognitive studies suggest that younger workers have a comparative advantage in terms of physically demanding work and fluid cognitive abilities.

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  • Gordo, Laura Romeu & Skirbekk, Vegard, 2013. "Skill demand and the comparative advantage of age: Jobs tasks and earnings from the 1980s to the 2000s in Germany," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 61-69.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:22:y:2013:i:c:p:61-69
    DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2012.09.003
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    2. Bloom, David E. & Sousa-Poza, Alfonso, 2013. "Ageing and Productivity: Introduction," IZA Discussion Papers 7205, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Alex Coad, 2018. "Firm age: a survey," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 13-43, January.
    4. María Teresa Ortega-Camarero & José Luis Cuesta-Gómez & Raquel de la Fuente-Anuncibay, 2021. "Intellectual Disability, Employment and Aging: Intervention Measures," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-22, March.
    5. Börsch-Supan, Axel & Weiss, Matthias, 2016. "Productivity and age: Evidence from work teams at the assembly line," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 7(C), pages 30-42.
    6. Anne Sonnet & Hilde Olsen & Thomas Manfredi, 2014. "Towards More Inclusive Ageing and Employment Policies: The Lessons from France, The Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland," De Economist, Springer, vol. 162(4), pages 315-339, December.
    7. Dorly J. H. Deeg & Morten Blekesaune & Astrid Wind, 2022. "Employment trends at older ages: policy impact or secular change?," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 689-698, September.
    8. Dengler, Katharina & Matthes, Britta & Paulus, Wiebke, 2014. "Occupational Tasks in the German Labour Market : an alternative measurement on the basis of an expert database," FDZ Methodenreport 201412_en, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    9. Mihajlo (Michael) Jakovljevic & Laura Romeu-Gordo & Mira Vukovic & Maja Krstic, 2017. "Gender-Specific Health-Seeking Behavior and Income Status among the Elderly Citizens of Serbia," Eastern European Business and Economics Journal, Eastern European Business and Economics Studies Centre, vol. 3(1), pages 67-86.
    10. Bloom, David E. & Sousa-Poza, Alfonso, 2013. "Ageing and productivity," FZID Discussion Papers 63-2012, University of Hohenheim, Center for Research on Innovation and Services (FZID).
    11. Hernæs, Erik & Kornstad, Tom & Markussen, Simen & Røed, Knut, 2023. "Ageing and labor productivity," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    12. Xiaoxi Wang & Yaojun Zhang & Danlin Yu & Xiwei Wu & Ding Li, 2022. "Changes in Demographic Factors’ Influence on Regional Productivity Growth: Empirical Evidence from China, 2000–2010," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-19, April.
    13. Hugh Cassidy, 2017. "Task Variation Within Occupations," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(3), pages 393-410, July.
    14. Rocha de Jesus Fernandes, Anderson & Lanza Queiroz, Bernardo, 2024. "Aging, education and some other implications for the silver dividend in developing countries: Evidence from Brazil," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 27(C).
    15. Brindusa Anghel & Aitor Lacuesta, 2020. "Ageing, productivity and employment status," Economic Bulletin, Banco de España, issue 1/2020.
    16. Vladimir Gimpelson, 2019. "Age and Wage: Stylized Facts and Russian Evidence," HSE Economic Journal, National Research University Higher School of Economics, vol. 23(2), pages 185-237.
    17. Yu Liu & Mingde Jia, 2023. "The Impact of Population Aging on Green Innovation: An Empirical Analysis Based on Inter-Provincial Data in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-18, February.
    18. Pavel Breinek, 2018. "Problems of Older Workers on the Labour Market," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 66(4), pages 1073-1084.
    19. Bogataj, David & Battini, Daria & Calzavara, Martina & Persona, Alessandro, 2019. "The ageing workforce challenge: Investments in collaborative robots or contribution to pension schemes, from the multi-echelon perspective," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 97-106.
    20. Nicole Schneeweis & Vegard Skirbekk & Rudolf Winter-Ebmer, 2014. "Does Education Improve Cognitive Performance Four Decades After School Completion?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(2), pages 619-643, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Technological change; Task-based approach; Age variation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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