Analysis of US panel data suggest that occupational change is extensive and
associated with negative outcomes such as poor wages relative to workers who
do not change occupation (Kambourov and Manovskii 2008; Parrado et al.
2007). These studies, however, identify occupational moves only indirectly
by means of changes in the occupational codes; hence, they cannot identify
people who change job but remain within the same occupation. The comparison
of these two groups of changers is important if we want to analyse the
causes and consequences of careers involving occupational changes.
In this paper we use British and German panel data to assess (1) the extent
of occupational change, taking into account the possibility of measurement
error involved in assessing such change; (2) whether occupational moves
differ from job moves in terms of the characteristics of those making such
switches; and (3) the effects of the move in terms of wages and job
satisfaction. We find that occupational moves are indeed different from
other job moves in their character and wage outcomes.
Kambourov, G. and Manovskii, I. (2008) Rising Occupational and Industry
Mobility in the United States: 1968-97. International Economic Review 49(1):
41-79.
Parrado, E., Caner, A. and Wolff, E.N. (2007) Occupational and Industrial
Mobility in the United States. Labour Economics 14: 435-455.
Presented by:
Simonetta Longhi and Malcolm Brynin, ISER
Date & time:
21 Jan 2009 13:00 pm - 21 Jan 2009 14:00 pm
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