That is, a bulk of tasks are in occupations that have only emerged extensively since 1940, according to a significant brand-new study of U.S. jobs led by MIT financial expert David Autor. Not all: Some come from consumer need, such as health care services tasks for an aging population.On another front, the research study reveals a noteworthy divide in recent new-job development: During the first 40 years of the 1940-2018 duration, many new tasks were middle-class production and clerical tasks, but in the last 40 years, brand-new job development often involves either extremely paid professional work or lower-wage service work.Finally, the research study brings unique data to a tricky concern: To what extent does technology develop brand-new tasks, and to what degree does it change jobs?Study Findings on Job CreationThe paper, “New Frontiers: The Origins and Content of New Work, 1940-2018,” appears in the Quarterly Journal of Economics. By contrast, in the world of production, that figure is simply 46 percent.Differences by DegreeThe truth that some locations of work function relatively more new tasks than others is one of the major features of the U.S. tasks landscape over the last 80 years. And one of the most striking things about that time duration, in terms of tasks, is that it consists of 2 relatively unique 40-year periods.In the first 40 years, from 1940 to about 1980, the U.S. ended up being a particular postwar manufacturing powerhouse, production tasks grew, and middle-income clerical and other office jobs grew up around those industries.But in the last four years, manufacturing begun receding in the U.S., and automation started removing clerical work. From 1980 to the present, there have actually been two major tracks for brand-new tasks: customized and high-end expert work, and lower-paying service-sector jobs, of lots of types.
Not all: Some come from customer demand, such as health care services jobs for an aging population.On another front, the research study reveals a noteworthy divide in recent new-job creation: During the first 40 years of the 1940-2018 period, many new jobs were middle-class production and clerical tasks, but in the last 40 years, new task development often involves either extremely paid professional work or lower-wage service work.Finally, the study brings unique information to a challenging question: To what extent does innovation create brand-new tasks, and to what extent does it replace jobs?Study Findings on Job CreationThe paper, “New Frontiers: The Origins and Content of New Work, 1940-2018,” appears in the Quarterly Journal of Economics. And one of the most striking things about that time duration, in terms of tasks, is that it consists of 2 relatively distinct 40-year periods.In the first 40 years, from 1940 to about 1980, the U.S. became a singular postwar production powerhouse, production tasks grew, and middle-income clerical and other workplace jobs grew up around those industries.But in the last four years, producing started receding in the U.S., and automation started removing clerical work. From 1980 to the present, there have been 2 significant tracks for brand-new tasks: high-end and specialized expert work, and lower-paying service-sector tasks, of numerous types.