Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Ben Vermeulen is an evolutionary and labor economist whose research sits at the intersection of technological change, automation, and structural economic transformation. His most influential work, "The Impact of Automation on Employment: Just the Usual Structural Change?" (2018, 171 citations), synthesizes evolutionary economic modeling with labor economic theory to project how automation reshapes employment across sectors — offering one of the more comprehensive frameworks for understanding macro- and micro-level labor market dynamics in the automation era. Building on this foundation, Vermeulen has explored how robots and artificial intelligence drive a systemic shift away from routine tasks toward non-routinized, creative work, examining the implications for regional economic development and institutional frameworks. His taxonomic approach to classifying sectors — distinguishing between those that apply, produce, or support robotic and AI technologies — provides researchers and policymakers with nuanced tools for anticipating employment and income changes. Through his ongoing work on regional catching-up and creative labor, Vermeulen highlights how geography and institutions mediate the benefits of technological progress, making his scholarship highly relevant for economists, regional planners, and policy analysts navigating the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution.