The impact of industrial robots on EU employment and wages: A local labour market approach. Bruegel Working Paper Issue 02/18 April 2018

Abstract

In theory, robots can directly displace workers from performing specific tasks (displacement effect). But they can also expand labour demand through the efficiencies they bring to industrial production (productivity effect). This working paper adopts the local labour market equilibrium approach developed by Acemoglu and Restrepo to assess which effects dominate and the impact of robots on wage growth and employment rate in Europe.