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Contribution Details

Type Journal Article
Scope Discipline-based scholarship
Title Skill obsolescence, vintage effects and changing tasks
Organization Unit
Authors
  • Uschi Backes-Gellner
  • S Janssen
Item Subtype Original Work
Refereed Yes
Status Published in final form
Language
  • English
Journal Title Applied Economics Quarterly
Publisher Duncker & Humblot
Geographical Reach international
ISSN 1611-6607
Volume 55
Number 1
Page Range 83 - 104
Date 2009
Abstract Text Human capital is no doubt one of the most important factors for future economic growth and well-being. However, human capital is also prone to becoming obsolete over time. Skills that have been acquired at one point in time may perfectly match the skill requirements at that time but may become obsolete as time goes by. Thus, in the following paper, we study the depreciation processes of the human capital of workers performing different types of tasks with different skill requirements over a period of more than twenty years. We argue that two types of tasks must be distinguished: knowledge-based tasks and experience-based tasks. Knowledge-based tasks demand skills depending on the actual stock of technological knowledge in a society whereas experience-based tasks demand skills depending on personal factors and individual experience values. We show, by applying Mincer regressions on four different cross sections, that the human capital of people performing knowledge-based tasks suffers more from depreciation than the human capital of individuals performing experience-based tasks.
Digital Object Identifier 10.3790/aeq.55.1.83
Other Identification Number merlin-id:982
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