Measuring the Technological Bias of Robot Adoption and its Implications for the Aggregate Labor Share

Michael Koch () and Ilya Manuylov ()
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Michael Koch: Department of Economics and Business Economics, FIND - Research Centre for Firms and Industry Dynamics, Aarhus University, Postal: Fuglesangs Alle 4, DK-8210 Aarhus V, Denmark
Ilya Manuylov: Department of Economics and Business Economics, FIND - Research Centre for Firms and Industry Dynamics, Aarhus University, Postal: Fuglesangs Alle 4, DK-8210 Aarhus V, Denmark

Economics Working Papers from Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University

Abstract: This paper investigates the technological bias of robot adoption using a rich panel data set of Spanish manufacturing firms over a 25-year period. We apply the production function estimation when productivity is multidimensional to the case of an automating technology, to reveal the Hicks-neutral and labor-augmenting technological change brought about by robot adoption within firms. Our results indicate a causal effect of robots on Hicks-neutral and labor-augmenting components of productivity. The biased technological change turns out to be an important determinant of the decline in the aggregate share of labor in the Spanish manufacturing sector.

Keywords: Robots; Automation; Technological change; Productivity; Labor share (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D24 J24 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 28
Date: 2022-07-18
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eff and nep-tid
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