Skill-Based Labor Market Polarization in the Age of AI: A Comparative Analysis of India and the United States

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Ganuthula, Venkat Ram Reddy, Balaraman, Krishna Kumar
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Ganuthula, Venkat Ram Reddy
Balaraman, Krishna Kumar
author_facet Ganuthula, Venkat Ram Reddy
Balaraman, Krishna Kumar
contents This paper examines labor market polarization through a comparative analysis of skill-based employment and wage distributions in India and the United States during 2018-2023, with particular attention to differential automation risks and AI preparedness. Using detailed occupation-level data, automation risk metrics, and a series of statistical tests including wage premium analysis, employment share tests, and wage-employment regressions, we document significant structural differences in labor markets between developing and developed economies. Our analysis yields four key findings. First, we find statistically significant differences in employment distribution patterns, with India showing disproportionate concentration in low-skill employment compared to the US, particularly in occupations with high automation risk. Second, regression analysis reveals that wage premiums differ systematically between the two countries, with significantly larger skill-based wage gaps in India. Third, we find robust evidence of a negative relationship between employment size and wages, suggesting stronger labor supply effects in developing economies. Fourth, analysis of occupation-specific automation risk reveals that developing economies face a "double vulnerability" - concentration of employment in both low-skill occupations and jobs with higher automation potential, complicated by lower AI preparedness scores. These findings provide novel empirical evidence on how development stages influence labor market polarization patterns and carry important implications for skill development and technology adoption policies in developing economies. Our results suggest that traditional approaches to labor market development may need significant modification to account for the differential impacts of AI across development stages.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_15809
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Skill-Based Labor Market Polarization in the Age of AI: A Comparative Analysis of India and the United States
Ganuthula, Venkat Ram Reddy
Balaraman, Krishna Kumar
General Economics
Economics
This paper examines labor market polarization through a comparative analysis of skill-based employment and wage distributions in India and the United States during 2018-2023, with particular attention to differential automation risks and AI preparedness. Using detailed occupation-level data, automation risk metrics, and a series of statistical tests including wage premium analysis, employment share tests, and wage-employment regressions, we document significant structural differences in labor markets between developing and developed economies. Our analysis yields four key findings. First, we find statistically significant differences in employment distribution patterns, with India showing disproportionate concentration in low-skill employment compared to the US, particularly in occupations with high automation risk. Second, regression analysis reveals that wage premiums differ systematically between the two countries, with significantly larger skill-based wage gaps in India. Third, we find robust evidence of a negative relationship between employment size and wages, suggesting stronger labor supply effects in developing economies. Fourth, analysis of occupation-specific automation risk reveals that developing economies face a "double vulnerability" - concentration of employment in both low-skill occupations and jobs with higher automation potential, complicated by lower AI preparedness scores. These findings provide novel empirical evidence on how development stages influence labor market polarization patterns and carry important implications for skill development and technology adoption policies in developing economies. Our results suggest that traditional approaches to labor market development may need significant modification to account for the differential impacts of AI across development stages.
title Skill-Based Labor Market Polarization in the Age of AI: A Comparative Analysis of India and the United States
topic General Economics
Economics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.15809