Task Reallocation : A Cohort Analysis

This paper details task reallocation between 1982 and 2018 among individuals in the NLSY79 cohort who entered the labor market at the cusp of the digital technological revolution. I estimate a set of granular task measures that captures multiple types of cognitive, interpersonal, physical, and other tasks. Particular emphasis is given to task reallocation of lower skill individuals subsequent to exiting routine work. Contrary to predictions from a sparse task framework, I find that low skill individuals who exit routine work enter into non-routine abstract work at rates approximately 2.5 times higher than they enter non-routine physical work. After exiting routine work, the share of entries into abstract tasks associated with wage gains is similar for both high and low skill individuals; however, low skill individuals have much higher entry rates into tasks associated with wage declines