Final answer:
The importance of a job correlates with the required skill level; less skilled jobs are deemed less critical, while jobs requiring specialized knowledge are more important due to the scarcity of qualified individuals.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Davis and Moore, the importance of a job is largely determined by the degree of skill required to perform it. For instance, tasks that require minimal training, such as cleaning hallways or answering phones, are generally regarded as less critical due to the large pool of individuals capable of performing them. In contrast, jobs that demand high levels of expertise, such as designing highway systems or delivering babies, are seen as more important because they require specialized knowledge and there are fewer individuals qualified to do them. This ranking reflects the scarcity and specialization principle, whereby the importance of a skill increases with its rarity and the specific expertise needed to perform related tasks.