This article critically challenges the findings and assumptions of mainstream job polarisation literature. Based on the European Working Conditions Survey data and on the Job Demand-Control model, which allows for capturing the organisational dimension of jobs, we examine the patterns and evolution of occupations in 22 European countries from 2005 to 2015. Instead of pervasive job polarisation, we observe a near-pervasive trend of upgrading job quality, suggesting that job polarisation may be caused by the undervaluation/devaluation of jobs low in the occupational hierarchy – not by computerisation-driven changes in work tasks. Indeed, only the former can explain the decrease in the number of low-quality jobs while the number of low-paid jobs increases. After documenting the relevance of firm-level organisational choices, we suggest that counteracting job polarisation requires, beyond meso-level collective bargaining, a public intervention that promotes participatory decision-making in firms.

JEL Codes: J2, J81, M540

本文对主流工作两极化文献的发现和假设提出了严峻的挑战。基于欧洲工作条件调查数据和基于工作需求控制模型（该模型可以捕获工作的组织维度），我们研究了2005年至2015年欧洲22个国家/地区的职业模式和演变。我们观察到近乎无处不在的提升工作质量的趋势，这表明工作两极分化可能是由于职业等级低下的工作被低估/贬值所致，而不是由计算机驱动的工作任务变化所致。确实，只有前者可以解释低质量工作数量减少而低薪工作数量增加的原因。在记录了公司层级组织选择的相关性之后，

JEL代码： J2，J81，M540