David Dorn

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About

David Dorn is a leading economist whose research illuminates the profound transformations reshaping labor markets in the age of globalization and automation. His work centers on the distributional consequences of trade and technological change, particularly how these forces affect workers, jobs, and regional inequality. Dorn is best known for his seminal contributions to the “China Shock” literature, demonstrating how the rapid rise of Chinese imports caused significant and persistent job losses, reduced wages, and lowered labor-force participation in exposed U.S. local labor markets. His widely cited paper, “The Rise of the Machines: How Computers Have Changed Work,” explores how automation has polarized employment, hollowing out middle-skill routine jobs while boosting high- and low-skill service work. With tens of thousands of citations across his body of work, Dorn’s research has reshaped academic and policy debates on trade adjustment and the future of work. He is a Professor of Economics at the University of Zurich and a Research Fellow at CEPR, IZA, and NBER, and his findings have been featured in major media outlets and congressional testimony, underscoring his influence beyond academia.