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Technological change, relative wages, and unemployment

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  • Agenor, Pierre-Richard
  • Aizenman, Joshua

Abstract

This paper examines the effect of skill-biased technological change on the structure of wages, the composition of employment and the level of unemployment in a two-sector economy with a heterogenous work force. Efficiency wage considerations and minimum wage legislation lead to labor market segmentation. A technological shock that reduces the demand for unskilled labor and raises the demand for skilled labor in the primary, high-wage sector is shown to increase the relative wage of skilled workers and reduce aggregate employment as well as the employment level of unskilled workers in that sector. The net effect of the shock on the employment level of skilled workers is mitigated by the existence of efficiency factors.
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Suggested Citation

  • Agenor, Pierre-Richard & Aizenman, Joshua, 1997. "Technological change, relative wages, and unemployment," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 41(2), pages 187-205, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eecrev:v:41:y:1997:i:2:p:187-205
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    2. De Palma, Francesco & Seegmuller, Thomas, 2005. "Dual Labor Market And Endogenous Fluctuations," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 9(3), pages 398-411, June.
    3. George Chouliarakis & Mónica Correa-López, 2009. "A Fair Wage Model of Unemployment with Inertia in Fairness Perceptions," Centre for Growth and Business Cycle Research Discussion Paper Series 130, Economics, The University of Manchester.
    4. Sneessens, Henri R., 1998. "Technological Bias and Unemployment: A Macroeconomic Perspective," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 1999024, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES), revised 00 Aug 1999.
    5. George Chouliarakis & Mónica Correa-López, 2014. "A fair wage model of unemployment with inertia in fairness perceptions," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 66(1), pages 88-114, January.
    6. Gnangnon, Sèna Kimm, 2020. "Aid for Trade flows and Poverty Reduction in Recipient-Countries," EconStor Preprints 213807, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    7. Monica Correa-Lopez & George Choullarakis, 2012. "A Fair Wage Model of Unemployment with Inertia in Fairness Perceptions," Working Papers 1203, BBVA Bank, Economic Research Department.
    8. Jan Klasinc, 2015. "Ιnvestment in green economy as a potential source of value added," International Journal of Business and Economic Sciences Applied Research (IJBESAR), Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH), Kavala Campus, Greece, vol. 8(3), pages 109-118, December.
    9. Agenor, Pierre-Richard & Aizenman, Joshua, 1999. "Macroeconomic adjustment with segmented labor markets," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(2), pages 277-296, April.
    10. Joël Berger & Andreas Diekmann & Stefan Wehrli, 2024. "Does improved upward social mobility foster frustration and conflict? A large-scale online experiment testing Boudon’s model," Rationality and Society, , vol. 36(2), pages 157-182, May.
    11. Josef Falkinger & Volker Grossmann, 2001. "Work Organization, Wage Pressure in the Secondary Labor Market, and the Green Card," CESifo Working Paper Series 485, CESifo.
    12. Inoue, Tetsuya, 1998. "Impact of Information Technology and Implications for Monetary Policy," Monetary and Economic Studies, Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies, Bank of Japan, vol. 16(2), pages 29-60, December.
    13. Pierre-Richard Agenor & Joshua Aizenman, 1996. "Wage Dispersion and Technical Progress," NBER Working Papers 5417, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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