Description: We study how firms adjust their recruitment behavior when labor markets tighten. Using German online job vacancy data and official statistics, we measure tightness at detailed occupation–region levels and track how it shapes firms’ vacancy posting, wage offers, and skill requirements. Our framework focuses on both extensive adjustments (e.g., whether firms post more vacancies or start advertising wages) and intensive adjustments (e.g., skill and digital content of jobs). These perspectives allow us to shed light on whether firms in tighter markets substitute scarce skills with digital technologies, raise wage offers, or adjust hiring standards.
(Work-in-Progress)
(joint w/ Niklas Benner & Roman Klauser)
Description: We study how emerging digital technologies reshape labor demand. Using German online job vacancy data linked to administrative establishment records, we track the diffusion of general-purpose technologies such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing across regions, industries, and occupations since 2019. We measure their automation and augmentation potential by analyzing shifts in skill requirements within vacancies and across establishments. Combining descriptive evidence with a shift–share design, we examine how firms adjust employment structures and wages in response to exposure to these technologies. This framework allows us to identify whether emerging technologies substitute existing tasks, expand new ones, or alter the overall demand for labor.
(Work-in-Progress)
(joint w/ Niklas Benner, Verena Malfertheiner & Michael Stops)