Automation and Human Capital Adjustment: The Effect of Robots on College Enrollment
Additional information
Authors
Type
Journal Article
Year
forthcoming
Language
English
Abstract
This paper analyzes the link between automation and education by investigating the impact of the introduction of industrial robots on college enrollment in the US. We exploit exogenous variation in the adoption of robots across US local labor markets and show that for every additional robot adopted four individuals enroll in college. This result is driven by rising enrollment rates in local community colleges. We also observe a shift in graduations towards more applied fields. Finally, we show that the increase in college enrollment is primarily due to reduced opportunity costs, rather than an increase in the college wage premium.
Journal
The Journal of Human Resources
Start page number
1
End page number
1
Keywords
industrial robots, labor demand, human capital, college enrollment
