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Skill Polarization in Local Labour Markets under Share-Altering Technical Change

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  • Antonio accetturo
  • Alberto Dalmazzo
  • Guido De Blasio
Abstract
This paper considers the “share-altering” technical change hypothesis in a spatial general equilibrium model where individuals have different levels of skills. Building on a simple Cobb-Douglas production function, our model shows that the implementation of skill-biased technologies requires a sufficient proportion of highly educated individuals. Moreover, areas that experiment this kind of technical change will initially exhibit a rise in local skill premia, but such a trend tends to be reverted over time due to labour mobility. Also, when technical progress is such to disproportionately replace middle-skill jobs, the local distribution of skill will exhibit “fat-tails”, where the proportion of both highly skilled and low-skilled workers increases. These predictions are consistent with recent existing evidence.

Suggested Citation

  • Antonio accetturo & Alberto Dalmazzo & Guido De Blasio, 2011. "Skill Polarization in Local Labour Markets under Share-Altering Technical Change," Department of Economics University of Siena 625, Department of Economics, University of Siena.
    • Handle: RePEc:usi:wpaper:625
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    2. Mario Reinhold, 2016. "On the Link between Job Polarisation and Wage Inequality - A regional approach for Germany," ERSA conference papers ersa16p361, European Regional Science Association.
    3. Huajie Jiang & Qiguo Gong, 2022. "Does Skill Polarization Affect Wage Polarization? U.S. Evidence 2009–2021," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-17, October.
    4. Reinhold, Mario, 2016. "On the Link between Job Polarisation and Wage Inequality in Germany," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145802, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    5. Anping Chen & Tianshi Dai & Mark D. Partridge, 2021. "Agglomeration and firm wage inequality: Evidence from China," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(2), pages 352-386, March.
    6. Lecca, Patrizio & Persyn, Damiaan & Sakkas, Stelios, 2023. "Capital-skill complementarity and regional inequality: A spatial general equilibrium analysis," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    7. Alberto Dalmazzo & Guido de Blasio & Samuele Poy, 2021. "Gimme Shelter. Public Housing Programs and Industrialization. The INA-Casa plan, Italy," Department of Economics University of Siena 856, Department of Economics, University of Siena.
    8. Feder, Christophe & Kataishi, Rodrigo Ezequiel, 2017. "Decentralization in Heterogeneous Regions: A Biased Technological Change Approach," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 201703, University of Turin.
    9. Wang, Jun & Hu, Yong & Zhang, Zhiming, 2021. "Skill-biased technological change and labor market polarization in China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    10. Katalin Lipták & Zoltán Musinszki & Norbert Gyenge, 2019. "Needs and Expectations: Controllers in the Hungarian Labor Market," Theory Methodology Practice (TMP), Faculty of Economics, University of Miskolc, vol. 15(02), pages 29-40.
    11. Antonio Accetturo, 2014. "Political selection in the skilled city," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 956, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    12. Dalmazzo, Alberto & de Blasio, Guido & Poy, Samuele, 2022. "Can Public Housing Trigger Industrialization?," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    13. Chigusa Okamoto, 2019. "The effect of automation levels on US interstate migration," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 63(3), pages 519-539, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    share-altering technologies; local skill distribution; local wage premium.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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