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Are Skill Requirements Rising? Evidence from Production and Clerical Jobs

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  • Peter Cappelli

Abstract

This paper examines changes in skill requirements for production jobs in 93 manufacturing establishments between 1978 and 1986 and clerical jobs in 211 firms between 1978 and 1988. The unique data set allows an analysis not only of changes in the distribution of employment across jobs—the usual approach—but also of changes in skill requirements within job titles. The results suggest that significant upskilling is occurring within most production jobs in manufacturing; shifts in the composition of the work force toward higher-skill production jobs contribute a smaller amount to the overall rise in average skill requirements. Changes in clerical jobs are more complicated and suggest an even split between jobs that were upskilled and those that were deskilled. The development of new office equipment appears to be associated with the deskilling of specific clerical jobs.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter Cappelli, 1993. "Are Skill Requirements Rising? Evidence from Production and Clerical Jobs," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 46(3), pages 515-530, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ilrrev:v:46:y:1993:i:3:p:515-530
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    Cited by:

    1. Peter Cappelli, 1995. "Rethinking Employment," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 33(4), pages 563-602, December.
    2. Peter Gottschalk & Timothy Smeeding, 1995. "Cross National Comparisons of Levels and Trends in Inequality," LIS Working papers 126, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    3. David R. Howell, 1993. "Technological Change and the Demand for Skills in the 1980s: Does Skill Mismatch Explain the Growth of Low Earnings?," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_101, Levy Economics Institute.
    4. David R. Howell & Margaret Duncan & Bennett Harrison, 1998. "Low Wages in the US and High Unemployment in Europe: A Critical Assessment of the Conventional Wisdom," SCEPA working paper series. 1998-01, Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA), The New School, revised Aug 1998.
    5. Emanuela Ciapanna & Marco Taboga & Eliana Viviano, 2015. "Sectoral differences in managers’ compensation: insights from a matching model," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 1000, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    6. Marc Szydlik, 1997. "Consequences of Allocation Processes in the Labor Market: A Comparison of the United States and Germany," Vierteljahrshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung / Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 66(1), pages 41-46.

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