Zsofia Barany

English Français Deutsch Italiano 中文 More Español Ελληνικά 日本語 Português Türkçe A prominent explanation for declining labor shares is automation. We test this mechanism directly at the firm level, drawing on a central prediction of the task-based model of production: firms that automate more should see larger declines in routine employment and labor share. Using administrative data from France between 1994 and 2019, we find no support for this prediction.

Editor's note: We removed the term “late bloomers” from this post in response to feedback that the term could be misinterpreted to imply that success is only achieved by going to college. There is a widely held assumption that the vast majority of people go to college right after high school and finish their education in their early 20s.

There is a widely held assumption that the vast majority of people go to college right after high school and finish their education in their early 20s. In reality, about 30% of current college students started their programs in their 20s or later, and more than one-third of undergraduate students are at least 25 years old.