A new MIT-led study by labor economist David Autor examines who benefits from technology-driven new work in the postwar U.S. Using Census Bureau data from 1940–1950 and 2011–2023, the research finds that new jobs have historically gone disproportionately to young (under 30), college-educated workers in urban areas. New work carries a wage premium that erodes over time as specialized expertise becomes common knowledge. A key finding is that much innovation-driven new work is demand-side: WWII-era government investment in manufacturing created 85–90% of new work in that decade. The study raises open questions about AI — whether it will create new jobs or eliminate existing ones likely depends on how it is implemented, with healthcare cited as a sector where policy choices could steer AI toward job creation rather than displacement.
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