Overview
We study the industries that comprise Appalachian labor markets, the jobs these industries provide, and the skills required for these jobs. Our work uses individual-level Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) data and occupation-specific O*NET data to understand the skill content of labor in Appalachian communities. We construct an index of skills for each occupation and then aggregate this to the PUMA level. The result is a PUMA level index that characterizes the skill content of workers in Appalachia. Typifying the current skill endowment of workers in Appalachia will help us understand how a transition away from the current industrial mix towards more green industries, with potentially new skill content, will affect the labor market of these rural communities.
Teaser Video
Zoom Link
Project Website
Fellow
Timothy Pierce
Virginia Tech, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
Interns
Ryan Jacobs
Virginia Tech, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
Austin Burcham
Virginia Tech, Computational Modeling and Data Analytics
Yang Cheng
Virginia Tech, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
Mentors
Dr. Anubhab Gupta
Virginia Tech, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
Dr. Susan Chen
Virginia Tech, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics