Historical lesson for AI: tractors automated farm labor, teen boys stayed in school longer
soumitrashukla9 · x · 2026-10-16
Economist Anna Stansbury cites a historical case of positive labor market adjustment to a big automation shock: as tractors automated farm labor, teen boys from farm families stayed in school longer, with enrollment rising sharply among high-school-age farm boys but not younger children or nonfarm boys.
The key insight: adjustment happens at the margin of labor market entrants — young people changing education and career choices before entering the workforce — which is far less costly than displacing incumbent workers. A useful reference point for debates on AI's labor market impact.
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