How do Workers Adjust to Robots? Evidence from China

Bibliographic Data

ID9720768
AuthorsOsea Giuntella (0000-0003-3236-0708, University of Pittsburgh, USA, IZA, Germany & NBER), Yi Lü (0000-0001-7614-6661, Tsinghua University), Elaine Yi Lu (0000-0002-1162-4623, Tsinghua University), Tianyi Wang (0000-0002-0776-9387, University of Toronto, Canada, IZA, Germany & NBER)
Year2024
Volume135
Issue666
Pages637-652
Publication date2024-12-24
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Economic Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0013-0133 • E-ISSN: 1468-0297
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/ej/ueae086
OpenAlexW4402947377
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited24

We analyse the effects of exposure to industrial robots on labour market adjustments, exploring longitudinal household data from China. We find that a one-standard-deviation increase in robot exposure led to a decline in labour force participation (−1%), employment (−7%) and hourly earnings (−8%) of Chinese workers. At the same time, among those who kept working, robot exposure increased the number of hours worked by 8%. These effects were concentrated among the less educated and larger among male, prime-age and older workers. We also find that more exposed workers increased their participation in technical training and were significantly more likely to retire earlier

Business · China · Economics · Geography · Labour economics · Natural resource economics · Robot · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Cyberloafing and Workplace Behavior · Digital Economy and Work Transformation · Employment and Welfare Studies