6533b854fe1ef96bd12af39d
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Deskilling and decline in skill premium during the age of sail : Swedish and Finnish seamen, 1751–1913
Ojala JariJaakko PehkonenJari Elorantasubject
Wage inequalityEconomics and EconometricsHistoryLabour economics060106 history of social sciencesmerihistoriatechnological changehistoriaTechnical changeGlobalization0502 economics and businessEconomicsmaritime historyta6150601 history and archaeology050207 economicsProductivity changeDeskillingTechnological changeoccupationsdeskilling05 social sciencesteknologinen kehitys06 humanities and the artsskill premiumGreat DivergencemerenkulkuMaritime historydescription
The study examines the evolution of skill premium and share at industry level in shipping during the age of sail. We argue that the period from the 1750s to the 1910s represented deskilling for the seamen working in sailing ships. The growth of international trade and shipping during the first era of globalization increased the overall demand for sailors but decreased the relative demand for skilled labor in favor of less skilled ones. This deskilling was associated with a decline in wage inequality, as the premium for high skilled seamen fell relative to mean wages in the shipping industry. The decline in skill premium may have facilitated the growth of trade and shipping, as the relative costs of transport declined. This in turn might have hastened the first era of globalization. peerReviewed
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-07-01 |