Why The Rise Of The Robots Won’t Mean The End Of Work

The notion that the the economy offers a fixed amount of work has been debunked time and time again over the centuries.

Vox
Nov 20, 2017
Latest in Labor
The Boeing logo is displayed at the company's factory, Sept. 24, 2024, in Renton, Wash.
Boeing Workers Reject Offer, Extending Strike at 3 Plants
September 12, 2025
South Korean workers released after days of detention in Georgia, arrive at the Incheon International Airport, in Incheon, South Korea, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025.
South Korean Workers Return Home After Days in Detention Following U.S. Immigration Raid
September 12, 2025
A Korean Air charter plane carrying Korean workers detained in immigration raid at Georgia factory leaves Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta bound for South Korea, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025.
South Korean Workers Detained in Immigration Raid Leave Atlanta, Head Home
September 11, 2025
I Stock 1264709557
Labor Department Watchdog to Audit BLS Jobs, Inflation Reports
September 11, 2025
Related Stories
(AP Photo)
Labor
Amazon Faces $28K Fine After Indiana Warehouse Worker Is Crushed By Forklift
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Labor
Trump Announces 'National Apprenticeship Week'
Mnet 109246 Cuomo Ap
Labor
New York To Boost Scheduling Protections For Hourly Workers
Mnet 155160 Employee Traininig Listing
Labor
How To Achieve Continuous Improvement With Employee Training
More in Labor
The Boeing logo is displayed at the company's factory, Sept. 24, 2024, in Renton, Wash.
Labor
Boeing Workers Reject Offer, Extending Strike at 3 Plants
The 3,200 workers who build fighter jets are heading back to the picket lines.
September 12, 2025
South Korean workers released after days of detention in Georgia, arrive at the Incheon International Airport, in Incheon, South Korea, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025.
Labor
South Korean Workers Return Home After Days in Detention Following U.S. Immigration Raid
Some workers spoke about the unexpected raid and the harsh conditions of their detention.
September 12, 2025
A Korean Air charter plane carrying Korean workers detained in immigration raid at Georgia factory leaves Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta bound for South Korea, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025.
Labor
South Korean Workers Detained in Immigration Raid Leave Atlanta, Head Home
South Korea's president expects Korean companies to hesitate to make new investments in the U.S.
September 11, 2025
I Stock 1264709557
Labor
Labor Department Watchdog to Audit BLS Jobs, Inflation Reports
Both reports are considered definitive measures of two key aspects of the U.S. economy.
September 11, 2025
Protesters stage a rally against the detention of South Korean workers during an immigration raid in Georgia, near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. The signs read 'A tariff bomb and workers confinement.'
Labor
Korean Workers Detained in Hyundai Plant Raid Face Uncertain Future
Meanwhile, fear lingers for other residents.
September 10, 2025
This image from video provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via DVIDS shows manufacturing plant employees being escorted outside the Hyundai Motor Group’s electric vehicle plant, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Ellabell, Ga.
Labor
Attorney Says Detained Korean Hyundai Workers Had Special Skills for Short-Term Jobs
They reportedly came to install and repair equipment that would take U.S. workers years to learn.
September 9, 2025
A construction worker carries steel decking at the site of a construction of a housing project, Thursday, July 31, 2025, in Portland, Maine.
Labor
Employers Added 911,000 Fewer Jobs than Originally Reported
New data shows the U.S. job market was much weaker than thought in 2024 — as well as this year.
September 9, 2025
A day laborer waits for work in the parking lot of a Home Depot in the Van Nuys section of Los Angeles, Aug. 28, 2025.
Labor
Home Depot Stores, Long a Hub for Day Laborers, Now Draw Immigration Raids
The home improvement retailer has denied involvement in immigration enforcement operations.
September 9, 2025
This image from video provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via DVIDS shows manufacturing plant employees waiting to have their legs shackled at the Hyundai Motor Group’s electric vehicle plant, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Ellabell, Ga.
Labor
What to Know About the Large-Scale Immigration Raid at a Georgia Manufacturing Plant
It targeted a site state officials have long called Georgia's largest economic development project.
September 8, 2025
This image from video provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via DVIDS shows a person being handcuffed at the Hyundai Motor Group’s electric vehicle plant, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Ellabell, Ga.
Labor
South Korea Will Bring Home 300 Workers Detained in Massive Hyundai Plant Raid in Georgia
The raid stunned many in South Korea.
September 8, 2025
The Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America is seen on March 26, 2025, in Ellabell, Ga.
Labor
ICE Raids Hyundai EV Factory Site
WATCH: Authorities detained about 475 people.
September 4, 2025
An ice-covered ConocoPhillips sign is displayed at the Colville-Delta 5, more commonly known as CD5, drilling site on Alaska's North Slope, Feb. 9, 2016.
Labor
ConocoPhillips to Lay Off Thousands of Workers
The oil giant is planning to lay off up to a quarter of its workforce.
September 4, 2025
Worker
Labor
Billions Are Flowing into U.S. Manufacturing. But Where Are the Workers?
How can all this new capacity succeed if the workers needed to run it are missing?
September 3, 2025
Migrant farmworkers pick a vegetable crop on an early morning in Fresno, Calif., on July 18, 2025.
Labor
1.2 Million Immigrants Are Gone from the U.S. Labor Force Under Trump, Preliminary Data Shows
The figure includes those who reside across the country both legally and illegally.
September 2, 2025
The logo of German car manufacturer Volkswagen is pictured at Volkswagen's transparent factory in Dresden, Germany, on May 14, 2025.
Labor
Volkswagen Faces Historic $30M Compensation for Amazon Labor Abuses in Brazil
Decades ago, workers were hired under irregular contracts to clear the forest and prepare pastures.
September 2, 2025