TY - JOUR
T1 - Autonomous vehicles and employment
T2 - An urban futures revolution or catastrophe?
AU - Nikitas, Alexandros
AU - Vitel, Alexandra-Elena
AU - Cotet, Corneliu
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s)
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/7/1
Y1 - 2021/7/1
N2 - Paradigm-shifting technologies such as Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) despite a wealth of promised benefits for the future of our cities may generate new unprecedented threats. The transportation industry will be the first to experience the aftermath of AVs since these can kill driving professions and create new layers of employability-related social exclusion. This paper appraises public perceptions of AVs and their employment repercussions as a forecasting tool that can drive equitable policy planning that prioritises humans over machines. The study is based on an online survey of 773 responses from an international audience. Descriptive statistics and ordinal regression modelling have been used. Most respondents recognised that the arrival of AVs is likely to revolutionise the distribution of jobs within the transport industry. They also believe governments are not prepared for the transformations AVs will force upon workplace arenas. Age, field of work/study, level of understanding AVs, income, gender, awareness about the risks on own employment were factors influencing the respondents' perceptions of whether transport professionals' job security will be jeopardised. The study argues that AVs are perceived as a significant employment disruptor and that reskilling, public engagement and awareness exercises should be widely adopted by the stakeholders ‘responsible’ for the transition.
AB - Paradigm-shifting technologies such as Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) despite a wealth of promised benefits for the future of our cities may generate new unprecedented threats. The transportation industry will be the first to experience the aftermath of AVs since these can kill driving professions and create new layers of employability-related social exclusion. This paper appraises public perceptions of AVs and their employment repercussions as a forecasting tool that can drive equitable policy planning that prioritises humans over machines. The study is based on an online survey of 773 responses from an international audience. Descriptive statistics and ordinal regression modelling have been used. Most respondents recognised that the arrival of AVs is likely to revolutionise the distribution of jobs within the transport industry. They also believe governments are not prepared for the transformations AVs will force upon workplace arenas. Age, field of work/study, level of understanding AVs, income, gender, awareness about the risks on own employment were factors influencing the respondents' perceptions of whether transport professionals' job security will be jeopardised. The study argues that AVs are perceived as a significant employment disruptor and that reskilling, public engagement and awareness exercises should be widely adopted by the stakeholders ‘responsible’ for the transition.
KW - Autonomous vehicles
KW - Driverless urban futures
KW - Employment
KW - Labour market disruption
KW - Skill demand
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85104137791&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cities.2021.103203
DO - 10.1016/j.cities.2021.103203
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85104137791
VL - 114
JO - Cities
JF - Cities
SN - 0264-2751
M1 - 103203
ER -