Melline Somers

Papers

Total Citations

139

H-Index

About

Melline Somers is a labor economist whose research sits at the intersection of technological change and employment, examining one of the most pressing questions facing modern economies: does technology create or destroy jobs? Her most significant contribution is a comprehensive systematic literature review synthesizing four decades of empirical evidence on how different categories of technological change — including ICT, robotics, innovation, and total factor productivity — affect labor markets. This rigorous work, which has accumulated nearly 140 citations across its versions, cuts through competing narratives by carefully distinguishing between technology's labor-displacing effects and its capacity to generate new economic activities and employment opportunities. By organizing the evidence around five distinct technology categories, Somers provides researchers and policymakers with a structured framework for understanding a complex and often contradictory body of literature. Her work acknowledges the full complexity of the technology-employment relationship, recognizing that productivity gains can simultaneously eliminate roles while raising disposable incomes and stimulating demand for new forms of work. For students and researchers grappling with automation's societal implications, Somers' scholarship offers an essential, evidence-grounded foundation.