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Task-based discrimination

Author

Listed:
  • Hurst, Erik
  • Rubinstein, Yona
  • Shimizu, Kazuatsu

Abstract

We develop a task-based model of occupational sorting to identify and quantify the effect of discrimination, racial skill gaps, and aggregate task prices on Black-White differences in labor market outcomes over time. At the heart of our framework is the idea that the size and nature of racial barriers faced by Black workers vary by the task requirements of each job. We define a new task that measures the extent to which individuals interact with others as part of their job. We show that this measure is a good proxy for the extent of discrimination in the economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Hurst, Erik & Rubinstein, Yona & Shimizu, Kazuatsu, 2024. "Task-based discrimination," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 124544, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:124544
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    File URL: https://researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/124544/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. David Card & Alan B. Krueger, 1992. "School Quality and Black-White Relative Earnings: A Direct Assessment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 107(1), pages 151-200.
    2. Raj Chetty & Adam Guren & Day Manoli & Andrea Weber, 2013. "Does Indivisible Labor Explain the Difference between Micro and Macro Elasticities? A Meta-Analysis of Extensive Margin Elasticities," NBER Macroeconomics Annual, University of Chicago Press, vol. 27(1), pages 1-56.
    3. David H. Autor & Frank Levy & Richard J. Murnane, 2003. "The skill content of recent technological change: an empirical exploration," Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, issue Nov.
    4. James J. Heckman & Jora Stixrud & Sergio Urzua, 2006. "The Effects of Cognitive and Noncognitive Abilities on Labor Market Outcomes and Social Behavior," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 24(3), pages 411-482, July.
    5. Isaiah Andrews & Matthew Gentzkow & Jesse M. Shapiro, 2017. "Measuring the Sensitivity of Parameter Estimates to Estimation Moments," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 132(4), pages 1553-1592.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Joelle Abramowitz & Andrew Joung, 2026. "Opening the Black Box of Self-Employment: Identifying Alternative Work Arrangements in the United States," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 79(3), pages 462-485, May.
    2. Gomez-Gonzalez, Carlos & Clochard, Gwen-Jirō & Dietl, Helmut & Duhalde, Juan Cruz, 2026. "Migration and sources of discrimination in a social context: Experimental evidence from 15 Latin American countries," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    3. Paul Allen B. Yabut & Jefferson A. Arapoc, 2025. "Manifestation of labor discrimination in the academe through workload disparity based on marital status and sex," Rationality and Society, , vol. 37(4), pages 451-473, November.
    4. Elizabeth Linos & Sanaz Mobasseri & Nina Roussille, 2025. "Intersectional Peer Effects at Work: The Effect of White Coworkers on Black Women’s Careers," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 71(9), pages 7600-7630, September.
    5. Duhalde Juan Cruz & Gomez Gonzalez Carlos & Clochard Gwen-Jiro & Dietl Helmut, 2025. "A large-scale field experiment to disentangle sources of statistical discrimination in a social setting," Asociación Argentina de Economía Política: Working Papers 4796, Asociación Argentina de Economía Política.
    6. Sharon Braun & Jonathan Bushnell & Zachary Cowell & David Dowling Samuel Goldstein & Andrew Johnson & George Miller & John M. Nunley & R. Alan Seals & Mingzhou Wang, 2026. "Hiring Discrimination and the Task Content of Jobs: Evidence from a Large-Scale Resume Audit," Papers 2604.01933, arXiv.org, revised Jul 2026.
    7. Christopher F. Baum & Hans Lööf & Andreas Stephan & Klaus F. Zimmermann, 2024. "Estimating the Wage Premia of Refugee Immigrants: Lessons from Sweden," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 77(4), pages 562-597, August.
    8. Bhagia, Div & Bryson, Carter, 2023. "Understanding the racial employment gap: The role of sectoral shifts," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    9. Samuel Cole & Zachary Cowell & John M. Nunley & R. Alan Seals Jr, 2022. "The Distribution of Occupational Tasks in the United States: Implications for a Diverse and Aging Population," Papers 2205.00497, arXiv.org.
    10. Yashiv, Eran, 2021. "Moving from a poor economy to a rich one: A job tasks approach," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    11. Hope Bodenschatz & Gerald Eric Daniels Jr. & Jeffrey P. Thompson, 2023. "Decomposing Lifetime-Earnings Differences between White, Black, and Hispanic Families," Working Papers 23-14, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing
    • M51 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Firm Employment Decisions; Promotions

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