Whereas difficulties in measuring the output of service sectors have been well documented, input measures are reasonably accurate. Using U.S. input-output data for the period 1958-87 and a number of indices of skill and occupational change derived from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles and...

David R. Howell argues that the collapse of low-skill wages in the United States cannot be explained by a skill mismatch resulting from a technology-driven decline in the demand for low-skill labor. He presents evidence refuting the prevailing belief that a substantial shift in demand away from...