Where Are the Robots?

Automation fears distract from the real problem: too few blue-collar workers. This article is part of an MIT SMR initiative exploring how technology is reshaping the practice of management. Following the Great Recession, anxiety intensified over the prospect of automation causing permanent, widespread unemployment. Feeding on public alarm, a large number of studies assessed the likely impact of future automation on jobs. Although some touted the potential for job creation, others predicted catastrophic job loss. Today, after more than a decade of continuous U.S. economic expansion, the fear of automation remains entrenched in the country's psyche, dominating public discussions and political debates.