Initial Industry and Long-Term Earnings Growth
AEA Papers and Proceedings
vol. 111,
May 2021
(pp. 476-80)
Abstract
We test whether employment growth in a male worker's initial industry influences earnings growth using the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. We follow workers for 20 years after reporting their first industry, finding that lower employment growth in their initial industry implies substantially lower earnings growth. Notably, after controlling for observable skills, controls for family background and region have no impact on estimates. Effects appear larger for initial occupations that involve more routine or manual tasks as well as for occupations that involve less abstract tasks, but these differences are not statistically significant.Citation
Ross, Stephen L., and Patralekha Ukil. 2021. "Initial Industry and Long-Term Earnings Growth." AEA Papers and Proceedings, 111: 476-80. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20211011Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- J21 Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
- J62 Job, Occupational, and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion
- J31 Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials