Robots create jobs in sectors that start with nothing, but destroy them where tech is already strong

Robot adoption in Europe creates jobs in industries that had no robots or little tech investment. But it reduces jobs in sectors that already had robots and high tech investment. This means technology's effect on employment depends on where a sector starts.

For years, the debate about robots and jobs has been a simple one: do they create jobs or destroy them? This paper shows it is not that simple. It turns out, robots help industries that are behind, but they hurt industries that are already advanced. This means governments and companies need to think about a sector's starting point when planning for automation.