Upjohn Research

Title

Skill-Biased Technological Change: Evidence from a Firm-Level Survey

Authors

Donald S. Siegel, University of Nottingham

Year

1999

Abstract

Siegel provides evidence that technology adoption is associated with downsizing, skill upgrading, greater employee empowerment, and a widening wage gap. Unlike previous studies that use industry-level data, Siegel collected firm-level data on technology usage and labor composition which enable him to link the magnitude of labor market outcomes for six classes of workers to the types of technologies implemented.

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Previous Studies of Skill-Biased Technological Change
3. The Survey and the Econometric Model
4. Characteristics of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies
5. Empirical Results
6. Case Studies
7. Summary of Findings and Policy Implications

Citation

Siegel, Donald S. 1999. Skill-Biased Technological Change: Evidence from a Firm-Level Survey. Kalamazoo, MI: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.

ISBN

9780880991971 (pbk.) ; 9780880991988 (cloth)

Subject Areas

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT; Occupational skills; Skills