NO : WP-2018-002
AUTHOR : K.V.Ramaswamy
TITLE : Technological Change, Automation and Employment: A Short Review of Theory and Evidence
ABSTRACT :
A selective survey of recent papers in the area of technological change, automation and employment is
presented. The objective is to convey analytical ideas and the empirical evidence that have informed
studies in this area of contemporary policy relevance. Automation occurs when a machine does work
that might previously have been done by a person. How robots and automation affect the availability of
jobs for labor force? There are very few emerging studies that address the issue with detailed data on
robots usage and employment in different sectors of the economy. Based on our review of available
studies and empirical evidence the following statements can be made: (1) Increasing automation and
robots adoption do not seem to cause loss of employment in the aggregate (2) Low skilled workers in
routine jobs are more likely to suffer job losses. (3) There will be demand for new types of skilled
workers or new specializations within occupations. Prospective automation intensifies the degree of
uncertainty in labor markets across countries..
Keywords : Technological change,Automation, Robots,Skill Bias, employment
JEL Code : J20, J23, J24, O30 and O33
Weblink : http://www.igidr.ac.in/pdf/publication/WP-2018-002.pdf
