On the Importance of Social Status for Occupational Sorting

Abstract

Models of self-selection predict that occupations with flat wage schedules attract workers of lower average ability. However, in certain prominent occupations such as academia and the civil service, wages are flat yet the average skill level is high. In this paper, I examine whether social status concerns can explain this puzzle. I find that within-occupation status allows flat-wage occupations to attract predominantly high-skilled workers, but only at the cost of attracting few workers overall. If, however, workers care both about within- and between-occupation status, then occupations paying flat wages can be arbitrarily large and attract workers of high average skill. I conclude that within- and between-occupation status concerns act as complements.