According to research, after an automation investment, recent hires tend to move on to new jobs “quite seamlessly,” while incumbent workers take longer to find new employment. (Photo: Shutterstock)
While automation may not create the same amount of widespread pain as mass layoffs in a downturn, some workers are more impacted than others when their companies automate processes, according to the research paper, “Automatic Reaction – What Happens To Workers At Firms That Automate?”
Researchers headed by Boston University's James Bessen examined 2000-2016 data on Netherlands workers, and found that the probability of workers leaving their company increased when there was a spike in automation investments – but not in droves as predicted by some “alarmists.”
Cumulatively after five years, 8.5 percent of “incumbent workers” will have left, compared to the 7.2 percent of “recent hires” who will have separated from their employer (the researchers could not determine from the data whether these workers quit or were fired).
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Katie Kuehner-Hebert
Katie Kuehner-Hebert is a freelance writer based in Running Springs, Calif. She has more than three decades of journalism experience, with particular expertise in employee benefits and other human resource topics.
