Technological progress, human capital, and employment rate: an empirical analysis using P-ARDL models from 1960-2019

ABSTRACT This paper aims to investigate the effects of technological progress, education, and human capital on employment in the short and long run using an econometric ARDL model for the period 1960-2019 across developed and developing countries. The hypothesis was that technological progress destroys jobs at a faster rate than investments in education and human capital can create. In the short run, the results confirmed the hypothesis that technological progress destroys relatively more jobs. However, in the long run, the results showed that the coefficients for education and human capital in developing countries outweighed those for technological progress, thus rejecting the hypothesis for this group of countries in the long run. For developed countries, coefficients for technological progress and investments in human capital were positive and significant.