Abstract
Although much attention has been paid to the polarization of national labor markets, with employment and wage growth occurring in both low- and high- but not middle-skill occupations, there is little consistent evidence on cross-country differences in this process. I analyze job polarization in 12 European countries using an occupational skill-intensity measure, which is independent of country-specific labor supply conditions.
Extensive north-south differences in the extent and skewness of polarization correspond to variation in economic conditions and to dissimilarities in employment protection.