Work is what structures adults' lives: it gives us purpose, focus, a set of responsibilities, and an identity. So when people are not participating in the labour market, all sorts of other things often start to go wrong.
David AutorRead
Our machines increasingly do our work for us. Why doesn't this make our labor redundant and our skills obsolete? Why are there still so many jobs?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote questions the impact of automation on employment and skills.
David Autor highlights a paradox in the modern workforce where advancements in technology and automation ostensibly reduce the need for human labor, yet many jobs still exist. He prompts a reflection on how new technologies have transformed job markets, creating new opportunities and roles rather than merely rendering existing ones obsolete.
Themes
AutomationJobsTechnologyEmploymentSkills
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the future of work at a technology conference.
More from David Autor
All quotes βThe fact that a task cannot be computerized does not imply that computerization has no effect on that task. On the contrary, tasks that cannot be substituted by computerization are generally complemented by it. This point is as fundamental as it is overlooked.
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There's always new work to do. Adjusting to the rapid pace of technological change creates real challenges, seen most clearly in our polarized labor market and the threat that it poses to economic mobility. Rising to this challenge is not automatic. It's not costless. It's not easy. But it is feasible.
David AutorRead
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