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American Economic Review Vol. 103 No. 3 2013

Pathways to Adjustment: The Case of Information Technology Workers

John Bound1; Breno Braga2; Joseph M. Golden2; Sarah Turner3

1 Department of Economics, University of Michigan, 611 Tappan Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, and NBER. · 2 Department of Economics, University of Michigan, 611 Tappan Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. · 3 Department of Economics, University of Virginia, Monroe Hall, Charlottesville, VA, 22903 and NBER.

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.

DOI
10.1257/aer.103.3.203
Volume
103
Issue
3
Pages
203-207
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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