The Economist spotlights Prof. David Autor and graduate student Juliette Fournier’s research examining the economic prospects for Americans without college degrees. Autor and Fournier found that, “the earnings of workers without a college education have scarcely risen in 50 years, after adjusting for inflation; for men they have fallen. This stagnation coincided with tectonic changes in American employment.”
At the annual meeting of the American Economic Association, Prof. David Autor presented new research showing that middle-skill jobs for Americans without college degrees are becoming increasingly rare in dense areas, reports Jeanna Smialek and Peter Coy for Bloomberg News. “It’s not clear where the land of opportunity is for non-college adults,” says Autor.
Prof. Julie Shah and Principal Research Scientist Andrew McAfee speak with Miles O’Brien of the PBS NewsHour about how robots can be used to augment human capabilities in the workplace. Shah explains that she is developing technology that enables robots to “integrate and work effectively with the person, so that they can accomplish the task together.”
Sloan Prof. Zeynep Ton speaks with Andrew Hill of the Financial Times about The Good Jobs Institute, which she co-founded to help companies create better jobs. Ton suggests that retailers “simplify the way stores operate, standardize processes, train staff to fill multiple roles…and schedule more employees than are needed so they can perform better and engage with customers.”
A Washington Post article by Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson and Research Affiliate Xiang Hui demonstrates how artificial intelligence is starting to have a positive impact on the U.S. economy by helping with such obstacles as lowering the language barrier to trade. Brynjolfsson and Hui explain that “human intelligence is needed to make sure it benefits the many, not just the few.”
MIT has been named the top university in the world for graduate employability by QS, reports Sean Coughlin for the BBC News. The ranking looks at how much universities are likely to boost the future careers of graduates, Coughlin explains, adding that MIT “is known for its high status in technology and innovation.”
QS has selected MIT as the best university in the world in their 2019 Graduate Employability Ranking, reports Rachel Hall for The Guardian. Hall explains that, “the rankings are compiled based on employer reputation, alumni outcomes, partnerships with employers per staff member, employer-student connections and the graduate employment rate.”
A study co-authored by Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson and graduate student Daniel Rock finds that specific tasks, not jobs, are likely to become automated, writes Joe McKendrick for Forbes. The researchers explain that, “machine learning technology can transform many jobs in the economy, but full automation will be less significant than the re-engineering of processes and the reorganization of tasks."
In an article for the Financial Times, Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson writes about his new research showing that advances in machine learning could help fuel a surge in productivity and economic growth around the world. Brynjolfsson writes that as machine learning systems develop, “we can have not only higher productivity growth, but also more widely shared prosperity.”
A new MIT study “offers ideas on job retraining programs for professional drivers and other workers who could be displaced by new technologies,” reports Callum Borchers for WBUR Bostonomix. The researchers hope to “provide a tool for people who might be planning these retraining programs that allows them to see what viable skill transformations exist," says graduate student Morgan Frank.
A study from MIT researchers finds that it is difficult for people to switch from physical work to jobs that require mainly social and cognitive skills, reports Kaveh Waddell of Axios. This “may leave low-wage workers with no recourse when manual labor is turned over to robots,” adds Waddell.
A new paper by Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson argues that machines and automation will replace specific tasks rather than entire jobs, writes Adi Gaskell for Forbes. As an example, Gaskell notes that there are 26 tasks associated with radiologists, and while “analyzing medical images is well suited to AI, interpersonal skills are currently not.”
Research affiliate Christos Makridis writes in Salon that IT skills, “are increasingly required if you want a job with upward mobility and autonomy.” Makridis argues that universities need to help students gain a working knowledge of cloud computing, big data and information security so that they can compete as the job market becomes more geared towards those that are technologically advanced.
A new study co-authored by Prof. Emilio Castilla suggests that MBA candidates with informal endorsements, rather than letters of recommendation, are more likely to be interviewed for a program, writes Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed. “Significantly, the researchers found that the endorsed candidates were not otherwise superior to those without endorsements,” explains Jaschik.
A recent study co-authored by Assistant Prof. Danielle Li in Sloan found evidence to support the “Peter Principle,” which theorizes that the best employees do not always make the best managers, reports Rodd Wagner, a contributor for Forbes. The researchers concluded that “promoting based on lower-level job skills rather than managerial skills can be extremely costly.”