Industrial robots don’t just shape pay today. Research from Pinar Yildirim, a Wharton professor of economics and marketing, shows they also make workers less likely to move into higher-paying occupations, cutting expected lifetime earnings.

“Workers aren’t necessarily losing their jobs, and it doesn’t feel like a sudden shock,” Yildirim said. “It’s more that the upward moves become a bit less likely, and over time this aggregates into careers that are more stagnant and less likely to end up in well-paying senior positions.”

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