Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/126633 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2000
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 119
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
The paper examines the determinants of the division of labor within firms. It provides an explanation of the pervasive observed changes in work organization away from the traditional functional departments and towards multi-tasking and job rotation. Whereas the existing literature on the division of labor within firms emphasizes the returns from specialization and the need for coordination of the work of different workers, the present analysis focuses on the returns from multi-tasking, which is shown to arise from informational and technological complementarities among tasks as well as from the exploitation of the versatility of human capital. The paper also explores how the move towards multi-tasking can affect the labor market, deriving implications for wage inequality, employment, and unemployment.
Subjects: 
Division of labor
specialization
multi-tasking
organization of work
technological change
information flows
JEL: 
J23
J24
L23
M12
O33
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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