Pascual Restrepo’s research interests span labor and macroeconomics. His current research examines the impact of technology, and in particular of automation, on labor markets, employment, wages, inequality, the distribution of income, and growth. Recent empirical projects include a study of the impact of industrial robots on US labor markets, a study of how the decline of routine jobs interacted with the great recession, and a study on how aging and shortages of labor induce firms to automate their production process. His theoretical work centers on developing micro-founded models of technology choice to think about the short and long-run implications of different technologies and whether the resulting growth process is balanced.

Pascual Restrepo
Associate Professor, Boston University; Research Affiliate, MIT Shaping the Future of Work Initiative
Research
Automation, Inequality, and Productivity
Advanced Technology Adoption: Selection or Causal Effects?
May 2023
Advanced Technology Adoption: Selection or Causal Effects?Automation, Inequality, and Productivity
Automation and the Workforce: A Firm-Level View from the 2019 Annual Business Survey
November 2022
Automation and the Workforce: A Firm-Level View from the 2019 Annual Business SurveyAutomation, Inequality, and Productivity
Tasks, Automation, and the Rise in U.S. Wage Inequality
September 2022
Tasks, Automation, and the Rise in U.S. Wage InequalityAutomation, Inequality, and Productivity
Artificial Intelligence and Jobs: Evidence from Online Vacancies
April 2022
Artificial Intelligence and Jobs: Evidence from Online VacanciesAutomation, Inequality, and Productivity
Robots and Jobs: Evidence from US Labor Markets
April 2020
Robots and Jobs: Evidence from US Labor MarketsRelevant News
News
ZDNet: Robots plus generative AI: Everything you need to know when they work as one
Nov 6, 2023
Media Coverage
ZDNet: Robots plus generative AI: Everything you need to know when they work as oneNews
Axios: AI and robots fuel new job displacement fears
Apr 2, 2023
Media Coverage
Axios: AI and robots fuel new job displacement fearsNews
Forbes: Here’s How U.S. Workers And Employers Can Co-Design Workplace Tech
Jan 9, 2023
Media Coverage
Forbes: Here’s How U.S. Workers And Employers Can Co-Design Workplace TechNews
La Razón: ¿Deberían pagar impuestos los robots?
Dec 12, 2022
Media Coverage
La Razón: ¿Deberían pagar impuestos los robots?News
HR Dive: MIT: Automation has tanked wages in manufacturing, clerical work
Nov 29, 2022
Media Coverage
HR Dive: MIT: Automation has tanked wages in manufacturing, clerical workNews
TechCrunch: Automating the income gap
Nov 24, 2022
Media Coverage
TechCrunch: Automating the income gapNews
New Atlas: MIT economists: Automation is driving huge increases in wage inequality
Nov 22, 2022
Media Coverage
New Atlas: MIT economists: Automation is driving huge increases in wage inequalityNews
MIT News: Study: Automation drives income inequality
Nov 21, 2022
Media Coverage
MIT News: Study: Automation drives income inequalityNews
Popular Science: Workplace automation could affect income inequality even more than we thought
Nov 21, 2022
Media Coverage
Popular Science: Workplace automation could affect income inequality even more than we thoughtNews
Forbes: How AI Can Improve Job Quality
Nov 16, 2022
Media Coverage
Forbes: How AI Can Improve Job QualityWork With Us
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