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Displaced or Depressed? The Effect of Working in Automatable Jobs on Mental Health

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  • Blasco, Sylvie

    (University of Caen)

  • Rochut, Julie
  • Rouland, Benedicte

    (University of Nantes)

Abstract

Automation may destroy jobs and change the labour demand structure, thereby potentially impacting workers' health and well-being. Using French individual survey data, we estimate the effects of working in automatable jobs on mental health. Implementing propensity score matching to solve the issue of endogenous exposure to automation risk, we find that workers whose job is at risk of automation in the future are about 4 pp more likely to suffer at present from severe mental disorders. Fear of job loss within the year and fear of qualification or occupational changes seem relevant channels to explain our findings.

Suggested Citation

  • Blasco, Sylvie & Rochut, Julie & Rouland, Benedicte, 2022. "Displaced or Depressed? The Effect of Working in Automatable Jobs on Mental Health," IZA Discussion Papers 15434, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp15434
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    Cited by:

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    2. Miele, Kai R., 2024. "Mental Health and Labor Market Effects of Anticipating Job Loss," CINCH Working Paper Series (since 2020) 82169, Duisburg-Essen University Library, DuEPublico.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    mental health; automation; job insecurity; propensity score matching;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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