387/2018 Andreas Ferrara

During the 1940s, a substantial share of Southern Black men moved from low-skilled to much better paying semi-skilled jobs. Using newly digitized military data, I show that counties with higher World War II casualty rates among semi-skilled White soldiers saw an increase in the share of semi-skilled Black workers. These deaths opened new employment opportunities for Black Southerners and, together with learning effects by employers, can explain up to 22.6% of the occupational upgrading at mid-century. I provide evidence that the casualty-induced labour shortages reduced racial barriers to entry, leading to a positive selection of Black workers into semi-skilled employment.

Economic History

Journal of Labor Economics

https://doi.org/10.1086/716921