How do Workers Adjust to Robots? Evidence from China

A-Tier
Journal: Economic Journal
Year: 2025
Volume: 135
Issue: 666
Pages: 637-652

Authors (3)

Osea Giuntella (not in RePEc) Yi Lu (Tsinghua University) Tianyi Wang (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

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.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:econjl:v:135:y:2025:i:666:p:637-652.
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25