Who perceived automation as a threat to their jobs in metro Atlanta: Results from the 2019 Metro Atlanta Speaks survey

Abstract

While ethnic minorities, less-educated or less-skilled workers, and low-income workers are, in general, deemed more vulnerable to automation, the literature has not adequately investigated whether or not these sociodemographic groups perceive automation as a threat to their jobs. Using the 2019 Metro Atlanta Speaks survey, we find that high-income residents and residents with a graduate or a professional degree did not perceive automation as a threat to their jobs, but relatively older residents, blacks or African Americans, and low-income residents perceived automation as a threat to their jobs. Although Hispanics or Latinos and less-educated residents are identified to be more vulnerable to automation, they did not perceive automation as a threat to their jobs. Hence, automation is most likely to make Hispanics or Latinos and less-educated residents unemployed in metro Atlanta as they do not perceive automation as a threat to their jobs despite being deemed more vulnerable to automation.