Careers in Firms: The Role of Learning about Ability and Human Capital Acquisition

S-Tier
Journal: Journal of Political Economy
Year: 2024
Volume: 132
Issue: 6
Pages: 1994 - 2073

Score contribution per author:

8.043 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Job and wage mobility can arise from firms and workers learning about workers’ ability and from workers acquiring human capital with experience. To date, the relative importance of these two mechanisms is debated. Using administrative data from one firm, I estimate a structural model that integrates them. I find the direct effect of beliefs about ability on wages, which existing work has focused on, to be small. However, by improving the sorting of workers to the firm’s jobs, learning about ability is indirectly a crucial determinant of wage growth and dispersion.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:jpolec:doi:10.1086/728454
Journal Field
General
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-28