Robots vs. Workers: Evidence From a Meta‐Analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study conducts a meta‐analysis to assess the effects of robotization on employment and wages, synthesizing the evidence from 33 studies (644 estimates) on employment and a subset of 19 studies (195 estimates) on wages. The results challenge the alarmist narrative about the risk of widespread technological unemployment, suggesting that the overall relationship between robotization and employment or wages is minimal. However, the effects are far from uniform, with adverse outcomes observed in specific contexts, such as the United States, manufacturing sectors, and middle‐skilled occupations. The analysis also identifies a publication bias favoring negative wage effects, though correcting for this bias confirms the negligible impact of robotization.