1. Employment polarization and the role of the apprenticeship system
- Author
-
Michelle Rendall, Franziska J. Weiss, University of Zurich, and Rendall, Michelle
- Subjects
UBS UBS Center Working Paper Series ,Engineering ,Labour economics ,050204 development studies ,J24 ,2002 Economics and Econometrics ,R23 ,jel:E24 ,German ,Innovationsbereitschaft ,jel:I24 ,10007 Department of Economics ,Economics ,050207 economics ,Stylized fact ,05 social sciences ,050209 industrial relations ,Apprentices ,technology adoption ,Test (assessment) ,330 Economics ,Lehrling ,2003 Finance ,8. Economic growth ,language ,E24 ,employment polarization ,Economics and Econometrics ,I24 ,jel:J62 ,jel:J24 ,ECON Department of Economics ,educational system ,0502 economics and business ,ddc:330 ,jel:R23 ,Apprentices, educational system, employment polarization, technology adoption ,Innovation ,O33 ,business.industry ,Polarization (politics) ,Key features ,Local variation ,language.human_language ,Berufsausbildung ,jel:O33 ,J62 ,11198 UBS Center for Economics in Society ,Apprenticeship ,business ,Finance ,Educational systems - Abstract
This paper studies the effect of apprenticeship training on technology adoption and labor market polarization. A stylized model with two key features is developed: (1) apprentices are more productive due to industry-specific training, but (2) from the firm׳s perspective, when training apprentices, technological innovation is costly since training becomes obsolete. Thus, apprentices correlate with slower adoption of skill-replacing technologies, but also less employment polarization. We test this hypothesis on German regions given local variation in apprenticeship systems until 1976. The results show little computer adoption and no employment polarization related to apprentices, but similar displacement of non-apprentices by computers as in the US.
- Published
- 2014