Winners and Losers from Technological Change

EconoFact Chats

New technologies often result in significant change. Perhaps the most salient effect of automation has been labor displacement. At the beginning of the 20th century, agricultural employment gave way to more productive, and higher paying, manufacturing jobs. The growing middle class generated demand for new products and new industries. But more recent technological changes have shrunk manufacturing jobs with workers moving to lower-paying service employment. Even more recently, Artificial Intelligence may displace workers who are at the higher end of the income distribution. Eduardo Porter joins EconoFact Chats to discuss these issues, as well as cryptocurrencies. Eduardo is a columnist for The Washington Post where he is also a member of its editorial board. He has formerly written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg.