Automation is not hollowing out British factory jobs

Fears that new technology will wipe out jobs are as old as the factory floor. But new analysis by Aniket Baksy, Daniel Chandler and Peter John Lambert shows that rather than taking jobs away, automation in British factories is linked to higher employment. It is a reminder that new production technologies often expand output and change what people do at work, rather than simply replacing them.

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Aniket Baksy, Daniel Chandler and Peter John Lambert

21 January 2026

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LSE Business Review

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https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/2026/01/21/automation-is-not-hollowing-out-british-factory-jobs/

This work is published under POID and the CEP's Labour programme.

This publication comes under the following CEP theme: Unemployment and job search, Work and wellbeing