Under the hood of the routine share decline

Abstract

Using establishments’ occupational data, we quantify the role of entrants, exiters, and incumbents in driving the decline in the share of routine occupations (R-share) in the U.S. First, entrants have a higher R-share than incumbents, casting doubt on a “creative destruction” mechanism whereby entrants drive this decline. Second, exiters have a higher R-share than their peers, supporting a “positive selection” mechanism. Finally, as incumbents age, they experience a fall in their R-share, which is not due to their size, consistent with the “technology adoption” mechanism. Quantitatively, we show that incumbents are the primary drivers of the aggregate decline in R-share.