Three Essays in Economics on Structural Change in Labou
Structural Change; Labour; Occupations; Input-Output Matrix; Vertical Integration.
The first study focuses on the vertical integration approach between productive sectors, proposed by Pasinetti (1981, 1993). The structure developed by the author considers that sectors producing consumer goods constitute production chains incorporating intermediate goods and services, forming vertically interconnected sectors. His model considers that each intermediate good participates in only one vertically integrated sector, in addition to accounting for production in physical units. In this sense, the first study aims to evaluate the impacts of flexibility in the hypotheses established by the author since they are hindered by both empirical observations and the basic input-output methodology, which aggregates sectors, goods, and services, based on the monetary values of the flows involved. Furthermore, we expected to highlight the impact of relative price changes on intersectoral demands. In the second study, the aim is to define how the labor market has been influenced by structural changes in the Brazilian economy. To this end, changes in the generation of jobs and the profile of occupations in terms of skills and abilities were investigated, using the structural decomposition method from 2003 to 2019. The analysis was conducted using the vertical integration method proposed by Pasinetti (1981, 1993). Finally, the third study addresses the profile of occupations, classifying them as routine, non-routine cognitive, or non-routine manual activities. This classification, proposed by Autor and Dorn (2009), enables the understanding of the evolution of work as automation expands and reduces the need for workers in routine activities. According to international observations, these technological movements have increased polarization in the labor market, with a drop in participation of routine activities and an increase in wage inequality between occupations. In this study, the hypothesis of polarization of the Brazilian labor market was investigated using data from RAIS between 2003 and 2019. Following the skills and abilities described in the Brazilian Classification of Occupations (CBO2), the classification is performed using Natural language processing.