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Explaining job polarisation in Spain from a task perspective

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  • Raquel Sebastian

    (University of Salamanca)

Abstract

This paper presents new evidence on the evolution of job polarisation in Spain between 1994 and 2014. After showing the U-shaped relationship between employment share growth and job’s percentile in the wage distribution, I use the task approach to investigate the main determinants behind job polarisation. Using the European Working Condition Survey I analyse in detail the task content of the jobs which display the most significant employment changes. I show that changes in employment shares are negatively related to the initial level of routine. I then explore the impact of computerisation on routine task inputs and I find that the routine measure is negatively related to computerisation. Finally, by using information on past jobs, I provide evidence on the displacement of middle-paid workers. Results suggest that they did not predominantly relocate their labour supply to bottom-paid occupations: while non-graduate middle workers move towards bottom occupations, graduate middle employees shift towards top occupations. This fact suggests that supply-side changes are important factors in explaining the expansion at the lower and upper tail of the employment distribution.

Suggested Citation

  • Raquel Sebastian, 2018. "Explaining job polarisation in Spain from a task perspective," SERIEs: Journal of the Spanish Economic Association, Springer;Spanish Economic Association, vol. 9(2), pages 215-248, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:series:v:9:y:2018:i:2:d:10.1007_s13209-018-0177-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s13209-018-0177-1
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Sebastian, Raquel & Harrison, Scott, 2017. "Beyond technological explanations of employment polarisation in Spain," GLO Discussion Paper Series 154, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    2. Sebastian Lago Raquel & Federico Biagi, 2018. "The Routine Biased Technical Change hypothesis: a critical review," JRC Research Reports JRC113174, Joint Research Centre.
    3. Martina Bisello & Marta Fana & Enrique Fernández-Macías & Sergio Torrejón Pérez, 2021. "A comprehensive European database of tasks indices for socio-economic research," JRC Working Papers on Labour, Education and Technology 2021-04, Joint Research Centre.
    4. Arief A. Yusuf & Reza Anglingkusumo & Andy Sumner & Putri R. Halim & Anggita C.M. Kusuma, 2020. "Routinization And The Changing Task Composition In The Labor Market: Evidence From Indonesia," Working Papers WP/06/2020, Bank Indonesia.
    5. Sayema Haque Bidisha & Tanveer Mahmood & Mahir A. Rahman, 2021. "Earnings inequality and the changing nature of work: Evidence from Labour Force Survey data of Bangladesh," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2021-7, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    6. Sergio Firpo & Alysson Portella & Flavio Riva & Giovanna Úbida, 2021. "The changing nature of work and inequality in Brazil (2003-19): A descriptive analysis," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2021-162, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Job polarisation; Structural change; Routine employment; Occupational mobility;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)

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