Robots and employment: A review

Abstract

Rapid advances in robotics signal a scientific breakthrough that could have major implications for the world economy and the field of economics. This article reviews recent literature on this topic to examine the evidence from two perspectives. First, I critically review the theoretical literature on the effects of robot adoption on employment and analyse the capacity of different theories to describe these influences. Second, I evaluate the current empirical evidence regarding the impact of robot technology on the economy in terms of employment and reshoring. This exercise highlights the limitations in the literature and points to avenues for future research.