Project description
The Future of Work in China: Robotics, Skills, and Earnings
Advances in AI and machine learning have driven widespread adoption of these technologies across industries and economies. This shift is expected to have profound effects on labour markets, education, and income distribution, making it essential to understand and develop policies to manage these changes. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the TECH-LAB project will deepen our understanding of how robotics and AI affect labour markets and income distribution in developing economies by examining their impact in China. The project will analyse changes in education, occupations, and task content, providing valuable insights to inform labour and education policies that protect workers.
Objective
This project examines how technological changes, particularly robotics and AI, reshape labor markets and earning distribution in developing economies, with a focus on China. The study measures skills across three dimensions: education, task content, and occupation. By integrating diverse data sources—job vacancy data, industrial robot installations, AI patent records, customs data, and firm-level employee records—it aims to provide a nuanced understanding of technological impacts. The research will culminate in two papers: one using firm-level data and another utilizing Python-scraped job vacancy data, both offering comprehensive insights into labor market transformations.
The first paper employs a Difference-in-Differences (DID) model, treating the “Made in China 2025” policy as a quasi-natural experiment to analyze how industrial policies influence skill structure and earning distribution. This analysis goes beyond the state of the art by developing a task-based skill index tailored to China’s labor market, avoiding biases from foreign data sources like the U.S. O*NET. The second paper focuses on AI’s impact on short-term labor demand, utilizing Bartik IVs to estimate the density of industrial robot installations at the city level.
Innovatively, It integrates traditional human capital theory with emerging concepts of cognitive and non-cognitive skills. It will provide policymakers with actionable insights on the future of work, guiding decisions on labor regulations and education reforms. The interdisciplinary approach, merging economics, informatics, and sociology, ensures the findings are both scientifically rigorous and socially relevant.
With open science practices, including data sharing and stakeholder engagement, the project promotes transparency and collaboration. It contributes to the broader understanding of how technological changes influence skill demand and earning dynamics, crucial for shaping future labor market policies in China and beyond.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
38122 TRENTO
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.