Elizabeth Weber Handwerker
@elizwebhand.bsky.social
Empirical Labor Economist, reader of economic history, wife, mother of three. My posts represent my own opinions. I only engage with people whose names I know.
I commute to the Capitol complex from Union Station. I have seen many weird policy marketing campaigns. This has got to be the weirdest.
July 10, 2025 at 11:39 AM
I commute to the Capitol complex from Union Station. I have seen many weird policy marketing campaigns. This has got to be the weirdest.
The US Capitol was missing this morning.
December 10, 2024 at 3:03 PM
The US Capitol was missing this morning.
Apple Prune pudding in the oven.
April 22, 2024 at 1:54 AM
Apple Prune pudding in the oven.
Soup simmering in Soup Socks (it will cool in the refrigerator overnight and I will mix kneidel dough in the morning)
April 22, 2024 at 1:47 AM
Soup simmering in Soup Socks (it will cool in the refrigerator overnight and I will mix kneidel dough in the morning)
We find a lot of variation in occupation-specific concentration trends over time. Growing employment in very large employers is associated with growing concentration for an occupation. 10/14
November 14, 2023 at 1:21 AM
We find a lot of variation in occupation-specific concentration trends over time. Growing employment in very large employers is associated with growing concentration for an occupation. 10/14
Our concentration measures are by occupation, but the average concentration of employment by occupations in each MSA is very similar to the average concentration of employment by industries in the same MSA. (which can be computed without BLS microdata) 3/14
November 14, 2023 at 1:14 AM
Our concentration measures are by occupation, but the average concentration of employment by occupations in each MSA is very similar to the average concentration of employment by industries in the same MSA. (which can be computed without BLS microdata) 3/14
I work from home on Fridays, so I just left my office without knowing when I'll be back. I hope this plant is still alive when I return.
September 28, 2023 at 9:24 PM
I work from home on Fridays, so I just left my office without knowing when I'll be back. I hope this plant is still alive when I return.
Grouping occupations into quartiles by their average wage, there is a clear increase in the employer homogeneity of people working in the highest-paid quartile of occupations. 10/12
November 12, 2024 at 4:26 PM
Grouping occupations into quartiles by their average wage, there is a clear increase in the employer homogeneity of people working in the highest-paid quartile of occupations. 10/12
Small ⬆️over time in employer homogeneity by HHI measure (1), not fully explained by changes in occs or employer characteristics. Little change over time in employer homogeneity by the predicted variance measure (2), although the changing occ distribution would lead to ⬆️. 9/12
November 12, 2024 at 4:16 PM
Small ⬆️over time in employer homogeneity by HHI measure (1), not fully explained by changes in occs or employer characteristics. Little change over time in employer homogeneity by the predicted variance measure (2), although the changing occ distribution would lead to ⬆️. 9/12
Measuring trends in these measures over time is tricky because the distribution of occupations has been changing over time. Employment is⬆️in low-wage and high-wage occupations but⬇️in middle-wage occs. However, these patterns are not evenly distributed across employers. 8/12
November 12, 2024 at 4:07 PM
Measuring trends in these measures over time is tricky because the distribution of occupations has been changing over time. Employment is⬆️in low-wage and high-wage occupations but⬇️in middle-wage occs. However, these patterns are not evenly distributed across employers. 8/12
Overall, greater employer homogeneity is associated with lower wages—even AFTER controlling for date, own detailed occupation, industry, US state, detailed industry, and employer size. 6/12
November 12, 2024 at 3:44 PM
Overall, greater employer homogeneity is associated with lower wages—even AFTER controlling for date, own detailed occupation, industry, US state, detailed industry, and employer size. 6/12
In example occupations from the outsourcing literature, outsourcing means greater employer specialization by these measures. The measures aren’t size-dependent, but smaller employers are more specialized. Lower-wage occupations are employed by more specialized employers. 5/12
November 12, 2024 at 3:29 PM
In example occupations from the outsourcing literature, outsourcing means greater employer specialization by these measures. The measures aren’t size-dependent, but smaller employers are more specialized. Lower-wage occupations are employed by more specialized employers. 5/12
Just noticed this. Wow. https://www.aeaweb.org/about-aea/honors-awards/brimmer-undergrad-essay-prize
November 12, 2024 at 2:23 PM
Just noticed this. Wow. https://www.aeaweb.org/about-aea/honors-awards/brimmer-undergrad-essay-prize
Finally got around to reading this article on the history of labor market advertising. I am really confused by one particular advertisement from a worker in 1901.
(From Table 4 of Advertising and Labor Market Matching: A Tour through the Times,...
(From Table 4 of Advertising and Labor Market Matching: A Tour through the Times,...
November 12, 2024 at 2:23 PM
Finally got around to reading this article on the history of labor market advertising. I am really confused by one particular advertisement from a worker in 1901.
(From Table 4 of Advertising and Labor Market Matching: A Tour through the Times,...
(From Table 4 of Advertising and Labor Market Matching: A Tour through the Times,...
New office view for me
November 12, 2024 at 2:23 PM
New office view for me
I don't work on Brazil or unions so I was going to skip "Collective Bargaining for Women: How Unions Create Female-Friendly Jobs."
Viola Corradini, @lagoslorenzo and Garima Sharma use employment flows to figure out aspects of jobs valued by women and men. Never seen that before!
Viola Corradini, @lagoslorenzo and Garima Sharma use employment flows to figure out aspects of jobs valued by women and men. Never seen that before!
November 12, 2024 at 2:52 PM
I don't work on Brazil or unions so I was going to skip "Collective Bargaining for Women: How Unions Create Female-Friendly Jobs."
Viola Corradini, @lagoslorenzo and Garima Sharma use employment flows to figure out aspects of jobs valued by women and men. Never seen that before!
Viola Corradini, @lagoslorenzo and Garima Sharma use employment flows to figure out aspects of jobs valued by women and men. Never seen that before!
Wait, what? @nberpubs, can you fix this?
November 12, 2024 at 2:23 PM
Wait, what? @nberpubs, can you fix this?
There is wide variation between occupations in concentration levels, trends, and the relationship between concentration and wages. Big predictors of concentration levels for occupations include the % employed by public sector employers, hospitals, schools, and megafirms. 11/14
November 12, 2024 at 6:44 PM
There is wide variation between occupations in concentration levels, trends, and the relationship between concentration and wages. Big predictors of concentration levels for occupations include the % employed by public sector employers, hospitals, schools, and megafirms. 11/14
However, in the OEWS data, occupations grow less important in explaining wage inequality after 2013. This is consistent with the particularly strong wage growth for low-wage occupations observed in OEWS data from 2013 to 2019. 8/11
November 12, 2024 at 4:26 PM
However, in the OEWS data, occupations grow less important in explaining wage inequality after 2013. This is consistent with the particularly strong wage growth for low-wage occupations observed in OEWS data from 2013 to 2019. 8/11
We show these data also support the conclusion that occupations are more important than education in driving wage inequality. Education and occupation are closely interrelated; occupations are the mechanism by which education affects wages. 7/11
November 12, 2024 at 4:16 PM
We show these data also support the conclusion that occupations are more important than education in driving wage inequality. Education and occupation are closely interrelated; occupations are the mechanism by which education affects wages. 7/11
We use the internal BLS/Census version of CPS-ORG microdata, which is not subject to the same top-coding as public-use data. In an Appendix, we show that outside researchers can nearly match these wage inequality trends using a common assumption in this literature. 5/11
November 12, 2024 at 3:44 PM
We use the internal BLS/Census version of CPS-ORG microdata, which is not subject to the same top-coding as public-use data. In an Appendix, we show that outside researchers can nearly match these wage inequality trends using a common assumption in this literature. 5/11
Big difference between CPS-ORG and the other 2 data sources: CPS shows greater wage increases at the top of the distribution than other data—particularly for management occupations (SOC 11-9000), computer occupations, and healthcare diagnosing and treating occupations. 4/11
November 12, 2024 at 3:29 PM
Big difference between CPS-ORG and the other 2 data sources: CPS shows greater wage increases at the top of the distribution than other data—particularly for management occupations (SOC 11-9000), computer occupations, and healthcare diagnosing and treating occupations. 4/11
Both OEWS and CPS-ORG data show remarkably strong wage growth between 2013 and 2019 without employment declines for lower wage occupations such as Material Moving Workers and Health Aides. 3/11
November 12, 2024 at 3:11 PM
Both OEWS and CPS-ORG data show remarkably strong wage growth between 2013 and 2019 without employment declines for lower wage occupations such as Material Moving Workers and Health Aides. 3/11
Our main finding: evidence of wage compression in a tight labor market. OEWS and W-2 data show wage inequality DECLINING towards the end of the 2010s expansion, while CPS-ORG data show a plateau in wage inequality from 2016-2019. 2/11
November 12, 2024 at 2:52 PM
Our main finding: evidence of wage compression in a tight labor market. OEWS and W-2 data show wage inequality DECLINING towards the end of the 2010s expansion, while CPS-ORG data show a plateau in wage inequality from 2016-2019. 2/11