This paper examines the role that changes in production technology, namely computerization, have played on labor market inequality in the US from the late 1980s to the 2010s. It also demonstrates that such technological change is consistent with the timing of labor market polarization in the US, including the end of the decline in 50/10 wage percentile ratio and the slowdown of employment growth in high-wage jobs from the 2000s. The paper does so using a model with two key ingredients: 1) directed search and 2) two-sided multidimensional heterogeneity. Calibration results show that the complementarity between a workers’ cognitive skills and the cognitive task intensity of jobs increased while that between manual skill and tasks did not. The full model can fully account for the rise and fall of the 90/50 and 50/10 wage percentile ratios respectively. It also generates 72.6 percent of the rise in employment share of high-paying jobs relative to middling jobs and 69 percent of the fall in employment share of middling jobs relative to low-paying jobs. The paper suggests that the end of the decline in the 50/10 wage ratio may be due to rank-switching between workers across the wage distribution from the 2000s, while the slowdown of employment growth in high-wage jobs may result from the trade-off between the returns to applying for high-wage jobs and the likelihood of being hired.

Scarcity of female scholars has been well documented for math-intensive or STEM fields. We investigate whether a lack of female instructors creates a demand for gender diversity on the student side. In an incentivized instructor-choice experiment on MTurk, we experimentally vary the gender balancedness of the instructor pool and ask participants to choose one additional instructor among one male and one female. We find that participants value gender diversity when female instructors are scarce. The effect is statistically significant for women but not for men. We also test for the effect of male scarcity in the instructor pool and find that both, men and women, show a demand for gender diversity.

The paper investigates factors associated with the overeducation risk in the EU, with a specific focus on gender and regional variables. The study tests Frank's theory of differential overqualification, which suggests that women are more likely to be overeducated than men, especially in small local labour markets. Although women's overeducation rates usually exceed those of men, the study's results show limited validity of Frank's model due to a nuanced relationship by which gender is linked to overeducation. They suggest that gender differentiates the overeducation risk in combination with care responsibilities, whilst easier access to childcare facilities is associated with a lower risk of overeducation among women in households with young children. Moreover, migrant women are found to be more at risk of overeducation, compared to both migrant men and non-migrants. Contrary to Frank's theory, the degree of urbanisation is found irrelevant for overeducation. Furthermore, the study shows the evidence of growing incidence of overeducation in the EU in 2011–2018.

Administrative data on bachelor students for 2014/15 to 2022/23 academic years are used to analyze their performance before, during, and – what is new in the literature – after the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis reveals that both low- and high-ability students of all affected cohorts received better grades during the semesters when teaching and examinations were delivered online, with the effect on low-ability students continuing through the first after-COVID academic year. However, improved grades contrast with lower graduation rates, especially among high-ability students. Detailed analysis of graduation patterns coupled with ECTS credits take-up analysis suggests that high-ability students were often discouraged from studying during the pandemic. For low-ability students, the negative influence of COVID-19 was compensated by the lenient grading policy that allowed them to pass the compulsory exams and continue studying.

Linking data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) and the NLSY79 Children and Young Adults, we document a substantial positive correlation of employment status between mothers and their offspring in the United States. After controlling for ability, education, fertility and wealth, offspring of permanently employed mothers have an 11 percentage-point higher probability to be employed in each given year than those of never employed mothers. The intergenerational transmission of maternal employment is stronger to daughters but significant also to sons. Investigating potential mechanisms, we provide suggestive evidence for a role model channel, through which labor force participation may be transmitted. Offspring seem to emulate the example of their mother when they observe her working. By contrast, we are able to rule out alternative candidate explanations such as network effects, occupation-specific human capital and local conditions of the labor market.

In a randomized controlled trial involving hundreds of university students, we provide relative performance feedback specifically designed to reduce low performers’ demoralization, by dynamically assigning students to small leaderboard groups that share a similar score in a semester-long online assignment. Treated students appear 2.6% more likely to go beyond the call-of-duty on their assignment by mid-semester. For low performers, this translates in 0.27 SDs higher exam grades, more stress, increased effort and lower procrastination. High performers are happier, procrastinate less and overachieve in the assignment on which they are ranked, but ultimately also score 0.25 SDs lower exam grades.

Using comprehensive longitudinal data from Chile, we examine the impact of attending a private high school on labor market outcomes. The empirical strategy exploits conditional independence assumptions and leverages the effects of self-selection based on ability. We establish that private high schools boost average adult earnings by 99–144 dollars a month (relative to public schools), equivalent to a 15%–22% premium. We then explore potential channels behind these effects. Both academic and non-academic factors emerge as mediators. Our findings highlight the importance of financial resources, as education investments have long-term impacts on private high school students, while yielding negligible effects for those attending public and voucher schools. Finally, we document the prominent role of firms as mediators of the private school advantages during the school-to-work transition. Our analysis provides new insights into the association between school choice and income disparities, even after controlling for pre-labor market academic performance.

The retirement behavior of immigrants has received limited attention, despite many countries seeing rising immigrant shares in their aging populations. Population-wide data for Sweden reveals that the retirement hazard rate is higher among immigrants as early as age 50. Approaching age 65, marginal migrant groups are instead more likely to remain in the labor force rather than conform to retirement age norms. While education and family circumstances explain little of these retirement gaps, labor market history, health, and occupation are important determinants. Immigrant-native differences are more pronounced among men than women. Findings suggest that economic necessity or opportunity, rather than varying preferences, are the driving factors behind the observed retirement disparities.

Using Danish linked employer–employee data, this study examines the importance of access to higher-paying firms in the wage assimilation process among immigrants during their 25-year tenure in Denmark. Upon their arrival, immigrant workers in Denmark earn substantially lower wages than their native counterparts. However, this wage gap diminishes rapidly within the first 5–10 years, particularly among more disadvantaged immigrant groups (non-OECD and female immigrants). Immigrants who enter the labour market early have higher earnings capacity than those who enter later, but this trend reverses after 15 years. The transition to higher-paying firms constitutes a crucial factor in wage assimilation during the initial 5 years, yet it does not account for wage growth beyond this period. Additionally, this study offers suggestive evidence that Danish firms’ wage policies vary based on the duration since migration, and these differences significantly contribute to the wage assimilation process.

I estimate the effect of attending an associate degree in nursing program on nursing licensure. I use student-level academic data for all California community college students, matched to public records on all nursing licenses earned in the state. I produce causal estimates using random variation from admissions lotteries at a large nursing program. Enrolling in the program increases the probability of having an active nursing license by 59 percentage points within three years. By seven years the effect is smaller and not statistically significant. I estimate the value of a nursing license as approximately $5000-$6000 per year.