Technology and jobs: A systematic literature review
05 April 2022
Technological Forecasting and Social Change
Kerstin Hötte, Melline Somers, and Angelos Theodorakopoulos
We systematically review the empirical literature on the past four decades of technological change and its impact on employment, distinguishing between five broad technology categories (ICT, Robots, Innovation, TFP-style, Other). We find across studies that the labor displacing effect of technology appears to be more than offset by compensating mechanisms that create or reinstate labor. This holds for most technology-types, suggesting that anxieties over widespread technology-driven unemployment lack an empirical base. Nevertheless, blue-collar workers have been adversely affected by technological change, and effective up- and reskilling strategies should remain at the forefront of policy making along targeted support systems.
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Kerstin hötte.
Oxford Martin Fellow
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Technology and jobs: A systematic literature review
We systematically review the empirical literature on the past four decades of technological change and its impact on employment, distinguishing between five broad technology categories (ICT, Robots, Innovation, TFP-style, Other). We find across studies that the labor displacing effect of technology appears to be more than offset by compensating mechanisms that create or reinstate labor. This holds for most technology-types, suggesting that anxieties over widespread technology-driven unemployment lack an empirical base. Nevertheless, blue-collar workers have been adversely affected by technological change, and effective up- and reskilling strategies should remain at the forefront of policy making along targeted support systems.
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Technology and jobs: a systematic literature review.
Hötte K, Somers M, Theodorakopoulos A (2023) Technological Forecasting and Social Change 194: 122750.
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Technology and jobs: a systematic literature review
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Jel classifications.
- e24 - "Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital"
- j21 - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
- Technological change
- Literature review
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- https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/downloads/Technology-and-jobs-A-Systematic-Lit-Review-WP-Upload.pdf
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- Systematic Literature Review Keyphrases 100%
- Technological Change Keyphrases 100%
- reviews INIS 100%
- workers INIS 100%
- Professional Occupations Social Sciences 100%
- Systematic Review Social Sciences 100%
- Technology-based Keyphrases 66%
- labor INIS 66%
T1 - Technology and jobs: a systematic literature review
AU - Hötte, Kerstin
AU - Somers, Melline
AU - Theodorakopoulos, Angelos
PY - 2022/4
Y1 - 2022/4
N2 - Does technological change destroy or create jobs? New technologies may replace human workers, but can simultaneously create jobs if workers are needed to use these technologies or if new economic activities emerge. Furthermore, technology-driven productivity growth may increase disposable income, stimulating a demand-induced expansion of employment. To synthesize the existing knowledge on this question, we systematically review the empirical literature on the past four decades of technological change and its impact on employment, distinguishing between five broad technology categories (ICT, Robots, Innovation, TFP-style, Other). Overall, we find across studies that the labor-displacing effect of technology appears to be more than offset by compensating mechanisms that create or reinstate labor. This holds for most types of technology, suggesting that previous anxieties over widespread technology-driven unemployment lack an empirical base, at least so far. Nevertheless, low-skill, production, and manufacturing workers have been adversely affected by technological change, and effective up- and reskilling strategies should remain at the forefront of policy making along with targeted social support systems.
AB - Does technological change destroy or create jobs? New technologies may replace human workers, but can simultaneously create jobs if workers are needed to use these technologies or if new economic activities emerge. Furthermore, technology-driven productivity growth may increase disposable income, stimulating a demand-induced expansion of employment. To synthesize the existing knowledge on this question, we systematically review the empirical literature on the past four decades of technological change and its impact on employment, distinguishing between five broad technology categories (ICT, Robots, Innovation, TFP-style, Other). Overall, we find across studies that the labor-displacing effect of technology appears to be more than offset by compensating mechanisms that create or reinstate labor. This holds for most types of technology, suggesting that previous anxieties over widespread technology-driven unemployment lack an empirical base, at least so far. Nevertheless, low-skill, production, and manufacturing workers have been adversely affected by technological change, and effective up- and reskilling strategies should remain at the forefront of policy making along with targeted social support systems.
KW - Technological change
KW - Literature review
M3 - Working paper
T3 - ROA External Reports
BT - Technology and jobs: a systematic literature review
PB - University of Oxford
CY - Oxford
- Help & FAQ
Technology and jobs: A systematic literature review
- Economics, Finance and Entrepreneurship
- College of Business and Social Sciences
Research output : Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Bibliographical note
- Technological Change
Access to Document
- 10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122750 Licence: CC BY 4.0
Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
- https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.01296 Licence: CC BY 4.0
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- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162523004353
- Link to publication in Scopus
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- Technology-based Keyphrases 100%
- Technological Change Keyphrases 100%
- Policy Making Keyphrases 100%
- Systematic Literature Review Keyphrases 100%
- Unemployment Keyphrases 100%
- Support System Keyphrases 100%
- Compensatory Mechanisms Keyphrases 100%
- Targeted Support Keyphrases 100%
T1 - Technology and jobs: A systematic literature review
AU - Hötte, Kerstin
AU - Somers, Melline
AU - Theodorakopoulos , Angelos
N1 - Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Funding: The authors acknowledge support from the European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under grant agreement No. 822330 TECHNEQUALITY.
PY - 2023/9
Y1 - 2023/9
N2 - We systematically review the empirical literature on the past four decadesof technological change and its impact on employment, distinguishing be-tween five broad technology categories (ICT, Robots, Innovation, TFP-style,Other). We find across studies that the labor displacing effect of technologyappears to be more than offset by compensating mechanisms that create orreinstate labor. This holds for most technology-types, suggesting that anx-ieties over widespread technology-driven unemployment lack an empiricalbase. Nevertheless, blue-collar workers have been adversely affected by tech-nological change, and effective up- and reskilling strategies should remain atthe forefront of policy making along targeted support systems.
AB - We systematically review the empirical literature on the past four decadesof technological change and its impact on employment, distinguishing be-tween five broad technology categories (ICT, Robots, Innovation, TFP-style,Other). We find across studies that the labor displacing effect of technologyappears to be more than offset by compensating mechanisms that create orreinstate labor. This holds for most technology-types, suggesting that anx-ieties over widespread technology-driven unemployment lack an empiricalbase. Nevertheless, blue-collar workers have been adversely affected by tech-nological change, and effective up- and reskilling strategies should remain atthe forefront of policy making along targeted support systems.
KW - Technological Change
KW - Employment
KW - Robots
KW - Innovation
UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162523004353
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85166026261&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122750
DO - 10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122750
M3 - Article
SN - 0040-1625
JO - Technological Forecasting and Social Change
JF - Technological Forecasting and Social Change
M1 - 122750
Technology and jobs: A systematic literature review
Kerstin Hötte, Melline Somers, Angelos Theodorakopoulos
We systematically review the empirical literature on the past four decades of technological change and its impact on employment, distinguishing between five broad technology categories (ICT, Robots, Innovation, TFP-style, Other). We find across studies that the labor displacing effect of technology appears to be more than offset by compensating mechanisms that create or reinstate labor. This holds for most technology-types, suggesting that anxieties over widespread technology-driven unemployment lack an empirical base. Nevertheless, blue-collar workers have been adversely affected by technological change, and effective up- and reskilling strategies should remain at the forefront of policy making along targeted support systems.
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IMAGES
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Sep 1, 2023 · We systematically review the empirical literature on the past four decades of technological change and its impact on employment, distinguishing between five broad technology categories (ICT, Robots, Innovation, TFP-style, Other).
Apr 4, 2022 · To synthesize the existing knowledge on this question, we systematically review the empirical literature on the past four decades of technological change and its impact on employment,...
Apr 5, 2022 · We systematically review the empirical literature on the past four decades of technological change and its impact on employment, distinguishing between five broad technology categories (ICT, Robots, Innovation, TFP-style, Other).
imulating a demand-induced expansion of employment. To syn-thesize the existing knowledge on this question, we systematically review the empirical literature on the past four decades of technological change and its impact on employment, distinguishing between five broad technology cat.
We systematically review the empirical literature on the past four decades of technological change and its impact on employment, distinguishing between five broad technology categories (ICT, Robots, Innovation, TFP-style, Other).
Apr 29, 2024 · We systematically review the empirical literature on the past four decades of technological change and its impact on employment, distinguishing between five broad technology categories (ICT, Robots, Innovation, TFP-style, Other).
Apr 4, 2022 · This paper is a critical review of the empirical literature resulting from recent years of debate and analysis regarding technology and employment and the future of work as threatened by technology, …
To synthesize the existing knowledge on this question, we systematically review the empirical literature on the past four decades of technological change and its impact on employment, distinguishing between five broad technology categories (ICT, Robots, Innovation, TFP-style, Other).
Dive into the research topics of 'Technology and jobs: A systematic literature review'. Together they form a unique fingerprint. Technology-based Keyphrases 100%
We systematically review the empirical literature on the past four decades of technological change and its impact on employment, distinguishing between five broad technology categories (ICT, Robots, Innovation, TFP-style, Other).