American Economic Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
Pathways to Adjustment: The Case of Information Technology Workers
American Economic Review
vol. 103,
no. 3, May 2013
(pp. 203–07)
Abstract
One long-standing hypothesis about science and engineering labor markets is that the supply of highly skilled workers is likely to be inelastic in the short run. We consider the market for computer scientists and electrical engineers (IT workers) and the evolution of wages and employment through two periods of increased demand. Relative to the boom of the 1970s, the demand shock in the 1990s generated relatively greater changes in employment and smaller changes in wages. The growth in the pool of skilled workers abroad, combined with increased immigration in high-skill fields, is central to this story.Citation
Bound, John, Breno Braga, Joseph M. Golden, and Sarah Turner. 2013. "Pathways to Adjustment: The Case of Information Technology Workers." American Economic Review, 103 (3): 203–07. DOI: 10.1257/aer.103.3.203Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- E23 Macroeconomics: Production
- J22 Time Allocation and Labor Supply
- J24 Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
- J44 Professional Labor Markets; Occupational Licensing
- O30 Technological Change; Research and Development; Intellectual Property Rights: General