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Pandemic Work Mode and Automation: Evidence from South Korea

Author

Listed:
  • Youngsoon Kwon

    (Bank of Korea)

  • Myungkyu Shim

    (Yonsei University)

  • Hee-Seung Yang

    (Yonsei University)

Abstract

Does the COVID-19 crisis accelerate automation? We investigate this question by analyzing employment trends based on occupational COVID-19 exposure and automation potential, key factors influencing post-pandemic automation. Using micro-level data from South Korea (2016–2022), we find a persistent decline in employment for occupations with high exposure and high automatability since the pandemic outbreak. In contrast, other occupations have largely recovered to pre-pandemic employment levels after an initial decline. These findings suggest that the pandemic has incentivized firms to adopt labor-replacing technologies to mitigate the business risks associated with viral transmission.

Suggested Citation

  • Youngsoon Kwon & Myungkyu Shim & Hee-Seung Yang, 2024. "Pandemic Work Mode and Automation: Evidence from South Korea," Working papers 2024rwp-236, Yonsei University, Yonsei Economics Research Institute.
    • Handle: RePEc:yon:wpaper:2024rwp-236
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Automation; COVID-19; Employment; Technology adoption; South Korea;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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