The authors examine the impact of industrial robots on US labor markets between 2005 and
2016. Because some industries adopt robots more intensively, growth in robot stocks more
heavily affect local labor markets with larger employment shares in those industries. This
robot exposure variation occurs across 722 commuting zones in the continental United
States. Analyzing the five-year intervals within this period, the authors find that robot
exposure reduces employment in the earlier periods but augments employment in the more …