Pré-Publication, Document De Travail (Working Paper) Année : 2023

The Two Faces of Worker Specialization

Résumé

We study how worker specialization—the distance between a worker’s skill set and those prevalent in the labor market—shapes employment outcomes. Using US and French data, we first document that specialized jobs are characterized by asymmetric skill profiles and a scarcity of nearby employment opportunities. We incorporate these features into a random search model with multidimensional skills, mismatch penalties and skill complementarity. We show that specialization lowers job-finding rates due to a lack of suitable jobs, but raises re-employment wages via improved productivity. Empirical evidence from displaced workers in both countries confirms these predictions. Our findings reconcile competing views in the literature by showing that specialization entails trade-offs and is neither uniformly beneficial nor harmful.

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Dates et versions

hal-04358411 , version 1 (21-12-2023)
hal-04358411 , version 2 (22-05-2024)
hal-04358411 , version 3 (21-08-2025)

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  • HAL Id : hal-04358411 , version 3

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Zsofiá L Bárány, Kerstin Holzheu. The Two Faces of Worker Specialization. 2025. ⟨hal-04358411v3⟩
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