American Sociological Review · 1979 · 88 citations · 0 references
HumanitiesHistoryHuman Resource ManagementLabor EconomicsLabor HistoryLabor Market AnalysisEmploymentHistory Of WorkLabor Market TrendsOccupational StructureWorking HoursLabor Force AnalysisOccupational DowngradingOccupational TitlesSkill ProfilesSkill UpgradingUpgrading
Hypotheses about temporal changes in work content over the past century include upgrading, downgrading, or no change in skill requirements, yet evidence is limited to case studies and indicates modest skill downgrading in the U.S. since 1900. The study aims to investigate small variations in skill content changes over the last 10–12 years using data from two consecutive editions of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles. The authors analyze a sample of jobs from two consecutive editions of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles to assess these variations.
Hypotheses about temporal changes in work content over the past century include notions of the upgrading, downgrading, and no-change in skill requirements over time. Current evidence is limited largely to case studies. Analytically, two types of change underlie aggregate variations in skill requirements: change in the distribution of workers in jobs and actual change in the content ofjobs. Recent research for the first type of change in the American economy suggests a modest skill downgrading since 1900. Using data from two consecutive editions of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles for a sample of jobs, I present new evidence that shows small variations for the second type of change for the last 10-12 years. There has been a slight upgrading in skill requirements in several sectors of the labor force.