Occupational restructuring in US high-tech manufacturing: 1983-1995. (1st January 2003)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jr, Bill Luker; Lyons, Donald
• Is Part Of: International journal of technology, policy and management. Volume 3:Number 1(2003)
• Page Start: 70
• Page End: 94
• Publication Date: 2003-01-01
• Subjects: high-technology manufacturing -- occupational restructuring -- employment change; Technological innovations -- Management -- Periodicals; Technology and state -- Periodicals; 658.51405
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1468-4322

Abstract

We survey occupation-by-industry panel data from 1983 to 1995, documenting major changes in the occupational structure of employment in US high-tech manufacturing industries. On the non-production side, defence spending cutbacks, technical change and production strategies chosen in response to technical change are causing better-paid computer professionals and more senior executives to displace specialised computer technicians, administrative and managerial support workers and single-discipline engineers. On the production side, the same factors converge, creating the inverse of that trend: less well-trained and therefore less well-paid workers are replacing the more skilled. Although production-side down-skilling can sometimes be viewed as a relative up-skilling or re-skilling for operators and assemblers, these two main trends in high-tech occupational restructuring are exacerbating, rather than mitigating, growing wage and income inequality in the USA.