Standard economic theory is that robots and automisation of processes gets rid of lower skill jobs but also in return creates new ones. Also it's better for all since prices will decrease.
In a recent published paper named "Automation, career values and political preferences" now some economists from UCLA and others take a closer look at the years 2000 - 2008.
The result is that automisation destroys careers, and leaves scorched earth behind. Before automatisation it was possible to learn a low skill job, and with time to climb up the ladder to better paid jobs. So in short the standard theory is wrong.
With automisation these opportunities are gone in many areas, so that you could only take other equally paid jobs instead.
It also affects the local economy, since people can spend less then.
"One additional robot per 1,000 workers decreased the average local market career value by $3.9K between 2004 and 2008 and by $2.48K between 2008 and 2016, corresponding to 1.7 percent and 1.1 percent of the average career values from the year 2000," the study observes. "In commuting zones that have been more exposed to robots, the average career value has declined further between 2000 and 2016. This decline was more pronounced for low-skilled individuals, with a substantial part of the decline coming from their reduced upward mobility."
"Areas most affected by robotization saw stronger support for populist candidates like Donald Trump in 2016," he noted. "The connection between career uncertainty and political realignment is clear: as people lose faith in their ability to advance economically, they seek alternative political solutions."
: They also boost support for populist politicians, study finds
www.theregister.com
