Changes in Relative Wages, 1963-1987: Supply and Demand Factors

Lawrence F. Katz, Kevin M. Murphy

NBER Working Paper No. 3927
Issued in December 1991
NBER Program(s):   LS

A simple supply and demand framework is used to analyze changes in the U.S. wage structure from 1963 to 1987. Rapid secular growth in the demand for more-educated workers, 'more-skilled' workers, and females appears to be the driving force behind observed changes in the wage structure. Measured changes in the allocation of labor between industries and occupations strongly favored college graduates and females throughout the period. Movements in the college wage premium over this period appear to be strongly related to fluctuations in the rate of growth of the supply of college graduates.

(892 K)

Published: Quarterly Journal of Economics Feb, 1992 Volume 107, No. 1, pp. 35-78

This paper is available as PDF (892 K) or via email.

Machine-readable bibliographic record - MARC, RIS, BibTeX