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Understanding the global decline in the labor income share

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  • Saumik Paul

    (Newcastle University, UK, and IZA, Germany)

Abstract

Globally, the share of income going to labor (the “labor income share”) is declining. However, this aggregate decline hides more than it reveals. While the labor income share has decreased for low-skilled workers, this has been concurrent with an increase for high-skilled workers. Globalization leading to a growing skill premium and an increasing complementarity between capital and skill through the advancement of technology explains the polarization of labor income shares across the skill spectrum.

Suggested Citation

  • Saumik Paul, 2020. "Understanding the global decline in the labor income share," World of Labour, LISER, pages 472-472, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izawol:journl:2020:n:472
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. David Autor & David Dorn & Lawrence F. Katz & Christina Patterson & John Van Reenen, 2017. "Concentrating on the Fall of the Labor Share," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(5), pages 180-185, May.
    2. Nicholas Kaldor, 1955. "Alternative Theories of Distribution," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 23(2), pages 83-100.
    3. Brent Neiman, 2014. "The Global Decline of the Labor Share," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 129(1), pages 61-103.
    4. A. B. Atkinson, 2009. "Factor shares: the principal problem of political economy?," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 25(1), pages 3-16, Spring.
    5. Rudy Fichtenbaum, 2011. "Do Unions Affect Labor's Share of Income: Evidence Using Panel Data," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(3), pages 784-810, July.
    6. Griliches, Zvi, 1969. "Capital-Skill Complementarity," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 51(4), pages 465-468, November.
    7. Matthew Rognlie, 2015. "Deciphering the Fall and Rise in the Net Capital Share," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 50(1 (Spring), pages 1-69.
    8. Paul, Saumik, 2019. "A Decline in Labor's Share with Capital Accumulation and Complementary Factor Inputs: An Application of the Morishima Elasticity of Substitution," IZA Discussion Papers 12219, IZA Network @ LISER.
    9. Matthew Rognlie, 2015. "Deciphering the Fall and Rise in the Net Capital Share: Accumulation or Scarcity?," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 46(1 (Spring), pages 1-69.
    10. Mai Dao & Ms. Mitali Das & Zsoka Koczan & Weicheng Lian, 2017. "Why Is Labor Receiving a Smaller Share of Global Income? Theory and Empirical Evidence," IMF Working Papers 2017/169, International Monetary Fund.
    11. Gary Fields & Saumik Paul (ed.), 2019. "Labor Income Share in Asia," ADB Institute Series on Development Economics, Springer, number 978-981-13-7803-4, February.
    12. Yoko Oishi & Saumik Paul, 2018. "Sectoral Labor Income Share Dynamics: Cross – Country Evidence from a Novel Dataset," Working Papers id:12930, eSocialSciences.
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    Cited by:

    1. Alai Yeerken & Feng Deng, 2023. "Digital Service Trade and Labor Income Share—Empirical Research on 48 Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-19, March.
    2. Paul, Saumik & Thomas, Liam, 2020. "The Agricultural Productivity Gap and Self-Employment Bias in the Labor Income Share," IZA Discussion Papers 13415, IZA Network @ LISER.
    3. Vallerie Peter & Assis Kamu & Ho Chong Mun & Lim Fui Yee Beatrice, 2025. "The Impact of Technological Change and Automation on Income Distribution and Labor Income Share: A Bibliometric Analysis (1975–2024)," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(6), pages 4937-4954, June.
    4. Anita Szymańska & Małgorzata Zielenkiewicz, 2022. "Declining Labour Income Share and Personal Income Inequality in Advanced Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-14, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • E25 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Aggregate Factor Income Distribution
    • J30 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - General

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