García-Peñalosa, Cecilia;
Petit, Fabien;
van Ypersele, Tanguy;
(2023)
Can workers still climb the social ladder as middling jobs become scarce? Evidence from two British cohorts.
Labour Economics
, 84
, Article 102390. 10.1016/j.labeco.2023.102390.
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Abstract
The increase in employment polarization observed in several high-income economies has coincided with a reduction in inter-generational mobility. This paper argues that the disappearance of middling jobs can drive changes in mobility, notably by removing a stepping stone towards high-paying occupations for those from less well-off family backgrounds. Using data from two British cohorts who entered the labour market at two points in time with very different degrees of employment polarization, we examine how parental income affects both entry occupations and occupational upgrading over careers. We find that transitions across occupations are key to mobility and that the impact of parental income has grown over time. At regional level, using a shift-share IV-strategy, we show that the impact of parental income has increased the most in regions experiencing the greatest increase in polarisation. This indicates that the disappearance of middling jobs played a role in the observed decline in mobility.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Can workers still climb the social ladder as middling jobs become scarce? Evidence from two British cohorts |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.labeco.2023.102390 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2023.102390 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | British cohort, Inter-generational mobility, Job polarization, Parental income, Occupational transition |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Learning and Leadership UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Learning and Leadership > Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10185308 |
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