This chapter of the handbook reviews recent advances in the task model and shows how this framework can be put to work to understand trends in the labor market in recent decades. Production in each industry requires the completion of various tasks that can be assigned to workers with different skills or to capital. Factors of production have well-defined comparative advantage across tasks, which governs substitution patterns. Technological change can: (1) augment a specific labor type – e.g., increase the productivity of labor in tasks it is already performing; (2) augment capital; (3) automate work by enabling capital to perform tasks previously allocated to labor; (4) create new tasks. The task model clarifies that these different technologies have distinct effects on labor demand, factor shares, and productivity and their full impact depends on the substitution patterns between workers that arise endogenously in the task framework. We explore the implications of the task framework using reduced-form evidence, highlighting the central role of automation and new tasks in recent labor market trends. We also explain how the general equilibrium effects ignored in these reduced-form approaches can be estimated structurally.
Information on participating / attending:
Call Opens: 6 January 2026
Application Deadline: 24 January 2026
Decision Notification: 5 February – subject to adjustment based on the volume of applications received.
Participation is free, but travel and accommodation costs are not covered. Applications are open to PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career academics.
Date:
03/12/2026 09:00 - 03/13/2026 16:30
Registration deadline:
01/24/2026
Event venue:
Rockwool Foundation Berlin
Gormannstrasse 22
10119 Berlin
Berlin
Germany
Target group:
Scientists and scholars
Email address:
Relevance:
international
Subject areas:
Economics / business administration
Types of events:
Seminar / workshop / discussion
Entry:
11/25/2025
Sender/author:
Harald Schultz
Department:
Kommunikation
Event is free:
yes
Language of the text:
English
URL of this event: http://idw-online.de/en/event80564
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