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.
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?
David AutorRead
Similar quotes
The question, I've come to think, is not what inspires one to change, but what inspires one to remain changed.
Jonathan Safran FoerRead
Change does not change tradition, it strengthens it. Change is a challenge and anopportunity, not a threat.
Prince PhilipRead
To think that the new economy is over is like somebody in London in 1830 saying the entire industrial revolution is over because some textile manufacturers in Manchester went broke.
Alvin TofflerRead
Let us not demand of ourselves that we alone must be the agent of change. In a fire brigade everyone passes along a bucket, but only the last person puts out the fire. None of us know where we stand in line. We may be here simply to pass a bucket; we may be called on to play a major role. In either case, all we can do is think, act, and say. Let us direct our thoughts, words, and actions to peace. That is all we can do. Let the results be what they will be.
Deepak ChopraRead
Here's where redesign begins in earnest, where we stop trying to be less bad and we start figuring out how to be good.
William McdonoughRead
By nature, men love newfangledness.
Geoffrey ChaucerRead