Is the pandemic accelerating automation? Don’t be so sure

AS ECONOMIES REOPEN, labour shortages are still worsening. In America the number of unfilled vacancies, at 9.3m, has never been so high. Job postings in Canada are 20% above pre-pandemic levels. Even in Europe, slower out of the post-lockdown gates, a growing number of employers complain of how hard it is to find staff. Debates over labour shortages have focused on welfare policy and economic disruption. But the phenomenon has a deeper lesson. It tells us something about the myths of automation.