Spatial division of labor in Chile 1992-2002

The article describes functional specialization of the Chilean municipalities ("comunas"), controlling for their industrial mix between 1992 and 2002 with information from the Population and Housing Censuses. The analysis of global and local spatial auto-correlation of indices of functional specialization shows the existence of a pattern of spatial division of labor characterized by the strong specialization of the Metropolitan Region in occupations of higher cognitive-cultural skills. In contrast, the other "comunas" are specialized in routine physical functions that require medium or low levels of qualification. This pattern raises doubts about the validity of the current development strategy of the country.