Concentrating on his career or hers?: Descriptive evidence on occupational co-agglomeration in dual-earner households

Abstract

The desire to co-locate induces married couples to choose occupations that are either clustered in similar labor markets or dispersed across labor markets. Using new indices of occupational co-agglomeration, I document that geographic concentration of occupations has increased significantly since the 1980s, and the likelihood that married couples’ occupations are clustered in similar labor markets has increased. Being well-matched to one’s spouse in terms of occupational clustering is positively associated with earnings for women and secondary earners. These positive associations are stronger for individuals in occupations with higher costs of re-skilling and are associated with higher mobility for couples starting in sub-optimal labor markets.