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
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Adapting to technological advancements is challenging but necessary for economic progress.
David Autor highlights the inevitability of change brought about by technology, emphasizing that while adjusting to these changes is difficult and may have costs, it is a necessary endeavor for ensuring economic mobility and addressing disparities in the labor market. He suggests that overcoming these challenges requires effort and proactive measures rather than a passive approach.
Themes
TechnologyChangeEconomic MobilityLabor MarketChallenges
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about workforce development, one might quote this to emphasize the importance of adaptability.
More from David Autor
All quotes →The 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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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?
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