Tired yet satisfied workers: The wage effects of intelligent technology adoptions

This study provides a snapshot of the Chinese labor market in 2018, capturing the wage effects of intelligent technology adoption in the pre-Generative AI era. In contrast to prior research, this paper measures intelligent technology adoption at the individual worker level, thereby overcoming the limitations of existing studies that rely on macro- or organizational-level data and extending the empirical reach of task-biased technological change theory. The results indicate that intelligent technology is associated with approximately 8% higher wages on average. This effect operates through multiple channels: encouraging participation in skills training, improving the alignment between educational human capital and job requirements, enhancing the value of accumulated work experience, and increasing working hours. Notably, workers in task-biased roles, white-collar occupations, and the manufacturing sector experience more pronounced wage gains. Furthermore, the adoption of intelligent technology is positively associated with key dimensions of subjective well-being, including job satisfaction and job security. These findings provide robust micro-level evidence on the labor-market implications of intelligent technology and valuable insights for designing public policies that promote technological adaptation and human capital development.