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Automatability of occupations, workers’ labor-market expectations, and willingness to train

Author

Listed:
  • Philipp Lergetporer

    (Technical University of Munich, CESifo and IZA)

  • Katharina Wedel

    (ifo Institute at the Ludwigs-Maximilians-University of Munich)

  • Katharina Werner

    (ifo Institute at the Ludwigs-Maximilians-University of Munich)

Abstract

We study how beliefs about the automatability of workers’ occupation affect labor-market expectations and willingness to participate in further training. In our representative online survey, respondents on average underestimate the automation risk of their occupation, especially those in high-automatability occupations. Randomized information about their occupations’ automatability increases respondents’ concerns about their professional future, and expectations about future changes in their work environment. The information also increases willingness to participate in further training, especially among respondents in highly automatable occupation (+five percentage points). This uptick substantially narrows the gap in willingness to train between those in high- and low-automatability occupations.

Suggested Citation

  • Philipp Lergetporer & Katharina Wedel & Katharina Werner, 2023. "Automatability of occupations, workers’ labor-market expectations, and willingness to train," Munich Papers in Political Economy 32, Munich School of Politics and Public Policy and the School of Management at the Technical University of Munich.
    • Handle: RePEc:aiw:wpaper:32
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Cattaneo, Maria Alejandra & Gschwendt, Christian & Wolter, Stefan C., 2024. "How Scary Is the Risk of Automation? Evidence from a Large Scale Survey Experiment," IZA Discussion Papers 17097, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Maria A. Cattaneo & Christian Gschwendt & Stefan C. Wolter, 2024. "How Scary is the Risk of Automation? Evidence from a Large Survey Experiment," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0213, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    automation; further training; labor-market expectations; survey experiment; information;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • I29 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Other
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness

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