Full Citation

Title: Comment on “Computerizing industries and routinizing jobs: Explaining trends in aggregate productivity” by Sangmin Aum, Sang Yoon (Tim) Lee and Yongseok Shin

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2018

ISBN:

ISSN: 03043932

DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoneco.2018.05.004

NSFID:

PMCID:

PMID:

Abstract: Aum et al. (2018) quantify the impact of production complementarities and differential productivity growth across occupations and sectors on the slowdown of aggregate productivity growth. This note expands their work to study substitutability between new computer equipment and labor in individual occupations as opposed to all occupations combined. Preliminary empirical evidence suggests (1) significantly different elasticities of substitution between computers and labor across occupations and (2) a strong correlation between productivity growth of computers and labor in occupations where these two inputs are complementary. When they are substitutes, however, their productivity growth rates appear uncorrelated. These findings have the potential to amplify or weaken the magnitude of the aggregate productivity slowdown explained by Aum et al. (2018) making their approach a promising avenue for future research.

Url: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmoneco.2018.05.004

Url: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S030439321830148X

User Submitted?: No

Authors: Kehrig, Matthias

Periodical (Full): Journal of Monetary Economics

Issue:

Volume: 97

Pages: 22-28

Data Collections: IPUMS Time Use - AHTUS

Topics: Labor Force and Occupational Structure

Countries: United States