Workforce
How and When will Autonomous Vehicles Impact the Workforce?
The impacts of self-driving cars on the economy will be real, but fully manageable, and overshadowed by the economic gains that come from this technology.
- The total impacts of labor displacement from driverless cars will be muted. Workers will not see meaningful displacement until the 2030s or 2040s. The impact will be diffused over a 30-year period.
- Experts think AV technology will diffuse more gradually in the light-duty fleet than in the trucking fleet.
- Severe labor impacts won’t be experienced until the 2030s and 2040s.
- The majority of those who lose driving jobs will be repositioned quickly, as AVs spur economic growth.
- Labor displacement that does occur from vehicle automation will be significantly lower than what we experienced in recessions in the early and late 2000s. Public policy and worker retraining programs can reduce the negative impacts from changes in the workforce.
