LAUSR

Male, racial/ethnic minority, middle and low-income U.S. adults disproportionately reported experiencing job automation during the COVID-19 pandemic and may particularly benefit from retraining and vocational assistance programs. Broad-scale interventions and policies are needed to alleviate concerns about future job automation. Objective This study examined job automation and concerns about job automation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Data from a national sample of 6607 middle- and low-income US adults in May to June 2020 were analyzed. Results Among recently employed participants, 19.1% reported partial or complete job automation during the pandemic. Male sex, racial/ethnic minorities, students, higher education, full-time employment, and any history of psychiatric disorder were associated with job automation. In the total sample, 57.5% had concerns about job automation, which were associated with younger age, male, racial/ethnic minorities, students, veterans, more minors in the household, Northeast residence, any history of psychiatric diagnosis, COVID-19 infection, and any recent job changes. Conclusions Job automation is impacting the lives of middle- and low-income US adults, and particular groups are vulnerable to ongoing changes in the nature of work.