This Map Shows Where Robots Are Coming for Your Job
By Mira Rojanasakul and Peter Coy for Bloomberg: Are you about to be replaced by a robot? The question has broad implications for the U.S. economy, especially the manufacturing sector. Industries that robotize tend to increase output. But robots can have dire consequences for workers.
Two economists recently concluded that both jobs and wages fall in parts of the U.S. where more robots are installed. The March 2017 study by Daron Acemoglu of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Pascual Restrepo of Boston University shows the commuting zones—i.e., local labor markets—where robot installations have grown the most.
The upper Midwest, particularly Michigan, was ground zero for the robot explosion from 1990 to 2007. That makes sense, since the automobile industry uses more robots than any other. The other hot spots also make sense on closer inspection. In Beaumont, Texas, lots of workers are employed in the plastic, chemicals and pharmaceuticals industry, another big user of robots. Wilmington, Delaware, has a big chunk of workers in that industry and others in car manufacturing, according to Restrepo, one of the researchers. Full article and interactive Map:
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