Betsey Stevenson, University of Michigan
Chapter in NBER book Studies of Labor Market Intermediation (2009), David H. Autor, editor (p. 67 – 86)
Volume ISBN: 978-0-226-03288-7; 0-226-03288-4
Abstract: As dot-coms proliferated and at home Internet use skyrocketed, many economists began to speculate on how this new technology would change the labor market. In 2000 Alan Krueger wrote that “The Internet is rapidly changing the way workers search for jobs and employers recruit workers . . . [with] significant implications for unemployment, pay, and productivity.” Autor (2000) outlines several of the ways in which the Internet might improve matching and provides evidence on the use of the Internet for job search. In the ensuing years the Internet has become an important part of people’s lives and jobs: in 2004, 73 percent of households had access to the Internet and 58 percent and 28 percent of adults used the Internet at home and work, respectively. Yet we still know very little about how the Internet has impacted job search and employment.