Unravelling the Link between Automatability and Job Satisfaction

Abstract

We take a closer look at the negative association between automatability and job satisfaction using data from the European Working Conditions Survey. We find a significant negative effect of automatability on job satisfaction. We observe that the association is not driven by individual or contextual confounders, but rather that it is generated by the specific task content of highly automatable occupations. More precisely, we identify ‘originality requirements’ as the key mediator, as more originality hinders the automatability of an occupation while boosting the job satisfaction of employees. We also find evidence for a stronger bias of future automation towards less satisfying occupations within lower-educated labour market segments. We discuss what these findings imply for the future quality of work and for inequality by education.