Low-skill jobs and routine tasks specialization: new insights from Italian provinces

Abstract

This paper analyzes the relation between specialization in routine tasks and the growth of low-skill jobs in Italian provinces. At this aim we use data of the Labour Force Survey (RCFL-ISTAT) integrated with information about the Italian provinces’ specialization in routine tasks derived from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET). Following the empirical strategy proposed by Autor and Dorn (2013), we find the following results. First, in the period between 2004 and 2017, the routine tasks specialization leads to a significant increase in the growth of low-skill/low-wage occupations at province level. Second, if we focus on university-educated workers, the impact of provinces’ specialization in routine tasks on the growth of low-skill/low wage jobs slightly increases. This result suggests that the local employment specialization in routine tasks might be also associated with increasing over-education patterns in Italy. Finally, our findings are robust to an econometric strategy that controls for endogeneity issues.

Description

Keywords

Lavoratori non qualificati, Occupazione

Citation

Brunetti I., Cirillo V., Intraligi V., Ricci A. (2019) Low-skill jobs and routine tasks specialization: new insights from Italian provinces, Roma, INAPP WP, n. 5 <http://oa.inapp.org/xmlui/handle/20.500.12916/384>

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