Routine Task Intensity Reduction
RCTReview
Measuring skill acquisition in informal labor markets is difficult because job titles and formal schooling rarely reflect real productivity improvements. Objective metrics tracking changes in daily work tasks are required to determine whether vocational programs enhance capabilities.
Picture this
Think of an apprentice who transitions from only sweeping floors and holding tools to reading technical blueprints, taking exact measurements, and calculating material costs. Measuring the shift in daily duties from basic physical repetition to complex problem-solving directly reveals that the worker has acquired higher-level capabilities.
What the evidence says
Four years after baseline, formal dual apprentices increased non-routine analytical task involvement by 0.243 standard deviations (p < 0.0001) and decreased overall routine task intensity by 0.213 standard deviations (p = 0.008).
- Who was studied
- N = 1,670 youth survey respondents evaluated 4 years after baseline across 7 urban localities in Côte d'Ivoire.
- How
- Worker-level task-content evaluation using a standardized Routine Task Intensity (RTI) index capturing non-routine analytical, non-routine interpersonal, and routine manual/cognitive tasks.
What to do
Evaluate job skill accumulation in informal labor markets by tracking changes in worker task composition toward non-routine analytical activities using a standardized task intensity index.
From the source
"Youths assigned to formal apprenticeship are more involved in non routine analytical tasks. This is consistent with an improvement in skills and in average productivity."
Direct_and_Indirect_Effects_of_Subsidized_Dual_Apprenticeships.pdf