The puzzle of changes in employment and wages in routine task-intensive occupations

The article delves into the intriguing phenomenon of employment and wage changes in routine task-intensive occupations from 1980 to 2005, focusing on clerical and administrative support occupations. It replicates and extends the study by Autor and Dorn (2013), using advanced econometric methods to provide empirical evidence. The study finds that employment in these occupations declined while wages increased, attributing this to the displacement of less productive non-college-educated workers due to technological advancements, particularly the adoption of personal computers. The instrumental variable quantile regression (IVQR) method reveals that the wage gains were concentrated among more productive workers, explaining the overall wage increase despite the employment decline. This detailed analysis offers new insights into the complex dynamics of labor markets and the impact of technology on employment and wages.