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Cambridge Journal of Economics 24:709-727 (2000)
Copyright © 2000 Cambridge Political Economy Society

Article

Are Britain's workplace skills becoming more unequal?

A Felsteadz, D Ashton and F Green

Centre for Labour Market Studies, University of Leicester, 7-9 Salisbury Road, Leicester LE1 7QR, UK
z Corresponding author
E-mail: Alan.Felstead@le.ac.uk

Abstract

It has been argued that workplace skills are becoming more polarised in Britain. This tendency is sometimes considered to be a factor contributing to the process of social exclusion and growing wage inequality. Skill polarisation has therefore been the focus of renewed academic and - since the election of the Labour government - political interest. In some respects, previous survey evidence for the 1980s can be used to support the skill polarisation thesis. This paper investigates whether the process has continued into the 1990s among those in work. Our main finding is that there has been no overriding process of skill polarisation between 1992 and 1997. However, the picture is complex, with losers as well as winners. Among the winners are full-timers, employees and those employed by 'modern' organisations. The losers, on the other hand, include those in part-time work, the self-employed and those employed in organisations with less progressive management practices.

Key Words: skills • inequality • education • training


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[Abstract] [PDF]


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