Automation and the risk of labor market exclusion across Europe

Lamperti, F. and Castellani, D. (2026) Automation and the risk of labor market exclusion across Europe. Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, 77. pp. 62-76. ISSN 0954349X doi: 10.1016/j.strueco.2025.12.014

Abstract/Summary

Labor market exclusion represents a major concern in several European economies, particularly affecting highly exposed demographic groups. This paper examines the potential effect of automation technologies on the risk of being locked into protracted unemployment or inactivity, using Labour Force Survey data for the European Union 27 countries and the United Kingdom, between 2009 and 2019. Our study employs repeated cross-sections of individual-level data to compute probabilities of exclusion outcomes due to automation adoption, controlling for several individual, macroeconomic, and region-specific characteristics, and for potential selection mechanisms. Findings highlight that, on average, the adoption of new automation technologies is associated with a higher probability of being inactive. This is consistent with the view that automation may exacerbate job insecurity, psychological discouragement and detachment from job-seeking. This relationship is heterogeneous across demographic groups, with younger individuals being relatively more affected.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/127882
Identification Number/DOI	10.1016/j.strueco.2025.12.014
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Henley Business School > International Business and Strategy
Publisher	Elsevier
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