Technology and Skill Changes in Female-Dominated Occupations: Evidence from Korea-US Occupational Data

Technological advancement not only affects the creation and extinction of occupations but also transforms the nature of work tasks and the skills required of workers. In the era of digital transformation, there are growing concerns about the potentially differential impacts of technological changes across gender. In Korea, where occupational segregation by gender is prominent, analyzing skill changes across all occupations alone is insufficient to derive practical implications for female workforce development. This study aims to identify female-dominated occupations in Korea and analyze their skill changes to derive policy implications for female workforce development in the digital transformation era. The methodology employs the Regional Employment Survey (2008, 2017) to identify female-dominated occupations and utilizes the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) to analyze skill changes between 2002 and 2016. Principal component analysis was conducted to systematically identify and analyze changes in major skill factors. The findings are as follows. First, occupational segregation by gender in Korea remains structurally entrenched. Female-dominated occupations are not only fewer in number, but also less than 0.5% of female workers are employed in managerial positions. Even within professional fields, women are concentrated in education, social welfare, healthcare, and cultural arts sectors. Second, high-order cognitive skills and social skills have consistently maintained the highest proportion among required skills. Third, while basic computational, language, and mechanical skills have declined, new skills such as software proficiency, resource management, and scientific management have emerged as significant requirements. This study provides empirical foundations for female workforce development in the digital transformation era by systematically analyzing skill changes in female-dominated occupations for the first time. The findings suggest the need for active education and training policies to enhance women's digital skills and support their entry into STEM fields.