Abstract: Despite substantial wage convergence between Black and White workers prior to 1980, the racial wage gap has since stagnated and even widened. This paper examines how much of this widening the occupational task structure accounts for, and whether it operates through shifts in task allocation between the two groups (task sorting) or through changes in the return to tasks (task prices). I find that racial disparities in task allocation have narrowed, reducing the gap. However, I find that this progress has been outpaced by a sharp rise in the Social task price. White men disproportionately benefited from the increased Social task price because Black men still remain underrepresented in Social-intensive occupations. To identify the specific Social tasks behind this price effect, I use machine learning to construct a data-driven task classification. I find that the widening gap is not driven by Coordination-Social tasks, such as management and scheduling, but by Analytical-Social tasks, such as analyzing and interpreting information for others. Together, these results suggest that racially neutral changes in task price are now the central mechanism widening the racial wage gap.
[2] "Pay Transparency and Gender Differences in Job Search" (with Kexin Feng)
"Trade Liberalization and Adjustment in Local Labor Market: New Evidence from Korea" (with Myungkyu Shim, Hee-Seung Yang & Seung Yong Yoo)
"Career Consequences of Young Firm Employment" (with Kexin Feng)
"Safety Screening or Red Tape? Requiring In-Person Driver’s License Renewal for Older Adults" (with Elizabeth Kayoon Hur & Matthew Kaefer)