Working Papers

Occupational Choice and Social Mobility [New Draft]

Abstract: This paper uses population-wide administrative data to examine the microeconomic drivers and aggregate implications of occupational following—when children enter their parent’s occupation—for the labor market, social mobility, and output. Pre-labor market multidimensional skills and education explain 19% of following across all occupations, including 53% among white collar occupations. Conditional on pre-market factors, following increases income by 5.5%. I combine these mechanisms into a model of educational and occupational choice. The intergenerational transmission of occupation-specific skills is most important in driving occupational following, while pre-market skill and education differences are most responsible for occupational attainment gaps by parental class.

The Global Market for Remote White-Collar Jobs
with Jingyi Cui

Abstract: We document several facts about cross-country remote work using data on 200,000 white-collar workers from 195 countries working for 20,000 firms. First, countries specialize in occupations according to their comparative advantages in cognitive and language skills. Second, cross-country wage disparities in international remote hiring are narrower than those observed in traditional domestic hiring. Third, by connecting workers and firms across borders, global remote work generates a median annual surplus of $52,480 per contract. Workers from wealthier countries capture a larger share of this surplus but experience smaller proportional gains.

Childhood Peers, Occupational Choice, and the Intergenerational Persistence of the Elite [New Draft]
with Janne Laitila and Jerry Montonen

Abstract: Children are exposed to different occupations depending on their parental background and which schools they attend. This paper uses population-wide administrative data to identify the long-term effects of occupational exposure in primary school on individuals’ future occupational choices. Broad exposure to peers with white collar parents increases the likelihood of entering a white collar occupation in adulthood and is driven by shifts in preferences rather than human capital. These effects are stronger at finer occupational levels, especially among elite professional occupations, and suggest strong homophily. Finally, these effects explain a substantial share of the intergenerational persistence of elite occupational attainment.

Publications

Gender-Specific Occupational Following and Gender Differences in Occupational Choice
American Economic Association Papers and Proceedings (May 2026)

Abstract: This paper uses administrative data to show that occupational following—when children enter their parent’s occupation—varies significantly by the gender of the parent and the child. While children are disproportionately likely to choose an occupation if it is held by either parent, they are more likely to choose the occupation held by their same-sex parent, throughout the income distribution. Sons are more likely to enter their father’s occupation in female-dominated occupations, and daughters are more likely to enter their mother’s occupation in male-dominated occupations. Last, gender-specific occupational following is a key driver behind overall gender differences in occupational choice.

Policy Writing

What Do Tanzanian Parents Want from Primary Schools—and What Can Be Done About It?
RISE Insight (2019)
with Andrew Zeitlin