Structural Increases in Skill Demand after the Great Recession

13 Pages Posted: 22 Jan 2020 Last revised: 27 May 2023

See all articles by Peter Q.. Blair

Peter Q.. Blair

Harvard University - Harvard Graduate School of Education

David Deming

Academic Dean, Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: January 2020

Abstract

In this paper we use detailed job vacancy data to estimate changes in skill demand in the years since the Great Recession. The share of job vacancies requiring a bachelor’s degree increased by more than 60 percent between 2007 and 2019, with faster growth in professional occupations and high-wage cities. Since the labor market was becoming tighter over this period, cyclical “upskilling” is unlikely to explain our findings.

Suggested Citation

Blair, Peter Q.. and Deming, David, Structural Increases in Skill Demand after the Great Recession (January 2020). NBER Working Paper No. w26680, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3522329

Peter Q.. Blair (Contact Author)

Harvard University - Harvard Graduate School of Education ( email )

456 Gutman Library
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David Deming

Academic Dean, Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) ( email )

79 John F. Kennedy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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