Implications of Information Technology for Employment, Skills, and Wages: A Review of Recent Research

An extensive review of the research literature on the effects of information technology (IT) on employment levels, job skill requirements, and wages. The first sections provide historical background on earlier waves of concern regarding automation and contemporary public opinion, then examine trends in overall employment and demand for IT workers. The second half of the paper is a detailed review of the econometric research and debate over skill-biased technological change and competing explanations of the growth of earnings inequality.