Information Technology, Automation, and the U.S. Workforce

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Recent publications and media reports have revived longstanding concerns about the potential negative effects of automation and other applications of information technology (IT) on the U.S. workforce, and prompted new discourse about implications and potential responses. Substitution of technology for labor where cost effective is not a new phenomenon. Today though there are indications that IT's growing scope and scale of use and the discovery and use of new computing techniques such as machine learning is changing what can and will be automated. The ultimate limits to automation and how the workforce--and the nation--will adapt are not clear. To the extent that IT can assume some or all of the responsibilities of existing jobs, it reduces the number of workers required and changes the nature of the work that remains, e.g., as people increasingly work with automated assistants. The phenomenon is of great consequence for individuals, who must make decisions about their own education, training, and career development; for businesses and other institutions whose labor needs will change; and for policy makers, who must understand the implications for productivity, the economy, unemployment, the social "safety net," and future education and training needs.A National Academies study will consider the possible impacts of automation and other applications of IT on the U.S. Workforce. It will consider current knowledge and open questions about the drivers of increased automation; the types and scale of jobs that might be affected; the societal implications of these changes; the time frame for impact; and implications for education, training, and workforce development. Through testimony, discussions convened by the committee, a literature review, and committee deliberations, the committee will examine currently available sources of information, consider how different disciplines could contribute knowledge, explore where additional data would help, and frame research questions aimed at better understanding the phenomenon. The committee's consensus report will set forth a research agenda and describe types and sources of data and analysis that would enhance our understanding of the workforce impacts of IT and automation. The project will thus provide a more nuanced understanding of the workforce impacts of information technology, stimulate interdisciplinary research to improve our understanding, and provide information to inform future policy making.