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Research ArticleArticles

The Growing Importance of Social Tasks in High-Paying Occupations: Implications for Sorting

Guido Matias Cortes, Nir Jaimovich and Henry E. Siu
Published online before print July 12, 2021, 0121-11455R1; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.58.5.0121-11455R1
Guido Matias Cortes
*Guido Matias Cortes is an associate professor of economics at York University and a research fellow at the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
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Nir Jaimovich
*Nir Jaimovich is a professor of economics at the University of Zürich and a research fellow at the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR).
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Henry E. Siu
*Henry E. Siu is a professor of economics at the University of British Columbia and a faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
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Abstract

We document that, since 1980, higher paying occupations in the US have experienced increases in the importance of tasks requiring social skills compared to lower paying ones. Economic theory indicates that the occupational sorting of workers depends on their comparative advantage in performing occupational tasks. Hence, changes in the relative importance of tasks across occupations change sorting. We document that the increasing relative importance of social tasks in high-paying occupations can account for an important fraction of the increased sorting of women relative to men towards these occupations over recent decades.

JEL Codes:
  • J16
  • J23
  • O33

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Journal of Human Resources: 60 (3)
Journal of Human Resources
Vol. 60, Issue 3
1 May 2025
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The Growing Importance of Social Tasks in High-Paying Occupations: Implications for Sorting
Guido Matias Cortes, Nir Jaimovich, Henry E. Siu
Journal of Human Resources Jul 2021, 0121-11455R1; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.58.5.0121-11455R1

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The Growing Importance of Social Tasks in High-Paying Occupations: Implications for Sorting
Guido Matias Cortes, Nir Jaimovich, Henry E. Siu
Journal of Human Resources Jul 2021, 0121-11455R1; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.58.5.0121-11455R1
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Keywords

  • J16
  • J23
  • O33
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