From Efficiency to Illness: Do highly automatable jobs take a toll on health in Germany?
Automation transforms work at a rapid pace, with gradually increasing shares of the workforce at risk of being replaced by machines. However, little is known about how this risk is affecting workers. In this study, we examine the relationship between exposure to high automation risk at work and both subjective (self-reported health, anxiety, and health satisfaction) and objective (healthcare use and sickness absence) health outcomes of workers in Germany. We base our analysis on survey data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) and administrative data from the Occupational Panel for Germany (2013–2022). Employing panel regression, we demonstrate that for workers, exposure to high automation risk at the occupational level is associated with lower self-reported health and health satisfaction, as well as increased sickness absence. No significant effects are observed for anxiety and healthcare use. Our heterogeneity analysis reveals minor variations in the effects based on region of settlement, company size, and professional class. We also conduct several robustness checks (i.e., alternative model specifications and risk measures with different thresholds), with the results remaining largely consistent with our main findings.
Speaker profile
Mariia Vasiakina is an EU-Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock, Germany, where she holds a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship funded by the European Commission. Her research focuses on the intersection of work, health, and well-being, with particular interest in the future of work and the societal impacts of technological change. Through her interdisciplinary approach, she explores how evolving labor market dynamics shape individual and population-level outcomes, contributing to a deeper understanding of demographic trends in the modern world.
Weekly seminar series
As part of our Centre's vibrant research culture, we host a weekly seminar series. Visiting and invited researchers present current research relating to the economics of health and wellbeing, and the healthcare sector. Visitors are welcome to join these sessions where discussion and debate is encouraged.
For further information on our seminar series, please contact Trong-Anh.Trinh@monash.edu.
Event Details
- Date:
- 24 September 2025 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
- Venue:
- Caulfield campus, Building H, level 9, room H9.14
- Categories:
- CHE Seminar; General
Description
Automation transforms work at a rapid pace, with gradually increasing shares of the workforce at risk of being replaced by machines. However, little is known about how this risk is affecting workers. In this study, we examine the relationship between exposure to high automation risk at work and both subjective (self-reported health, anxiety, and health satisfaction) and objective (healthcare use and sickness absence) health outcomes of workers in Germany. We base our analysis on survey data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) and administrative data from the Occupational Panel for Germany (2013–2022). Employing panel regression, we demonstrate that for workers, exposure to high automation risk at the occupational level is associated with lower self-reported health and health satisfaction, as well as increased sickness absence. No significant effects are observed for anxiety and healthcare use. Our heterogeneity analysis reveals minor variations in the effects based on region of settlement, company size, and professional class. We also conduct several robustness checks (i.e., alternative model specifications and risk measures with different thresholds), with the results remaining largely consistent with our main findings.
Speaker profile
Mariia Vasiakina is an EU-Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock, Germany, where she holds a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship funded by the European Commission. Her research focuses on the intersection of work, health, and well-being, with particular interest in the future of work and the societal impacts of technological change. Through her interdisciplinary approach, she explores how evolving labor market dynamics shape individual and population-level outcomes, contributing to a deeper understanding of demographic trends in the modern world.
Weekly seminar series
As part of our Centre's vibrant research culture, we host a weekly seminar series. Visiting and invited researchers present current research relating to the economics of health and wellbeing, and the healthcare sector. Visitors are welcome to join these sessions where discussion and debate is encouraged.
For further information on our seminar series, please contact Trong-Anh.Trinh@monash.edu.