IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/hlthec/v35y2026i2p139-144.html

Robot Effects on Worker's Compensation Benefits

Author

Listed:
  • Hyejin Kim

Abstract

This paper examines the effect of robots on workplace injury benefits paid in South Korea. Using the administrative data on worker's compensation, I found that the increase in robot exposure contributes to the significant decline in the average benefit amount per covered worker, mainly driven by the reduction in the number of claims, rather than the size of claims. The effects are stronger, especially for serious cases such as permanent disability.

Suggested Citation

  • Hyejin Kim, 2026. "Robot Effects on Worker's Compensation Benefits," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(2), pages 139-144, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:35:y:2026:i:2:p:139-144
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.70033
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.70033
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/hec.70033?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Liu, Qiren & Luo, Sen & Seamans, Robert, 2024. "Pain or anxiety? The health consequences of rising robot adoption in China," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 236(C).
    2. Daron Acemoglu & Pascual Restrepo, 2020. "Robots and Jobs: Evidence from US Labor Markets," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 128(6), pages 2188-2244.
    3. Osea Giuntella & Yi Lu & Tianyi Wang, 2025. "How do Workers Adjust to Robots? Evidence from China," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 135(666), pages 637-652.
    4. Hyejin Kim, 2024. "The impact of robots on labor demand: evidence from job vacancy data in South Korea," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 67(3), pages 1185-1209, September.
    5. Daisuke Adachi & Daiji Kawaguchi & Yukiko U. Saito, 2024. "Robots and Employment: Evidence from Japan, 1978–2017," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 42(2), pages 591-634.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xiaoxia Wang & Lei Li & Gang Xu, 2025. "Robots and gender inequality: Evidence from Chinese firms," Asian Economic Journal, East Asian Economic Association, vol. 39(3), pages 279-312, September.
    2. Wanqing Liao & Nan Zhao & Zizhe Zhang, 2025. "Can robots improve gender equality: an assessment based on household labor," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 1487-1525, December.
    3. Changkeun LEE & Olivia Hye KIM & Hwanoong LEE, 2026. "How will automation reshape worker well-being? Evidence from a highly automated economy," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    4. Venturini, Francesco, 2022. "Intelligent technologies and productivity spillovers: Evidence from the Fourth Industrial Revolution," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 220-243.
    5. Caselli, Mauro & Fracasso, Andrea & Scicchitano, Sergio & Traverso, Silvio & Tundis, Enrico, 2025. "What workers and robots do: An activity-based analysis of the impact of robotization on changes in local employment," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(1).
    6. Yusuke Aoki & Joon Suk Park & Yuya Takada & Koji Takahashi, 2025. "Expecting job replacement by GenAI: effects on workers' economic outlook and behavior," BIS Working Papers 1269, Bank for International Settlements.
    7. Wang, Linlin & Liu, Chun & Liu, Ding & Zhang, Yi, 2025. "Beyond jobs and wages: The hidden cost of automation on corporate social security contributions," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    8. Jurkat, Anne & Klump, Rainer & Schneider, Florian, 2025. "Robots and wages: A meta-analysis," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 541-567.
    9. Deng, Liuchun & Müller, Steffen & Plümpe, Verena & Stegmaier, Jens, 2024. "Robots, occupations, and worker age: A production-unit analysis of employment," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    10. Mauro Caselli & Edwin Fourrier-Nicolai & Andrea Fracasso & Sergio Scicchitano, 2024. "Digital Technologies and Firms’ Employment and Training," CESifo Working Paper Series 11056, CESifo.
    11. Piotr Lewandowski & Wojciech Szymczak, 2024. "Automation, Trade Unions and Involuntary Atypical Employment," IBS Working Papers 02/2024, Instytut Badan Strukturalnych.
    12. Li, Weibing & Li, Mingyang, 2026. "Automation from fires: Evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    13. Raphael Auer & David Köpfer & Josef Sveda, 2024. "The rise of generative AI: modelling exposure, substitution and inequality effects on the US labour market," BIS Working Papers 1207, Bank for International Settlements.
    14. Li, Weibing & Li, Mingyang & Chen, Siyuan, 2025. "Automation and household conflict: How industrial robots reduce domestic violence risk," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 94(PB).
    15. Klump, Rainer & Jurkat, Anne & Schneider, Florian, 2021. "Tracking the rise of robots: A survey of the IFR database and its applications," MPRA Paper 107909, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Franco, Chiara & Suppressa, Francesco, 2025. "Robot, trade and employment: Unravelling the relationship within the European context," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 407-422.
    17. Qingen Gai & Shiqi Guo & Lianyi Hu & Xi Zhu, 2025. "Robots, routine jobs, and rural migrant workers: evidence from China," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 38(4), pages 1-30, December.
    18. Zheng, Dawei & Wang, Tingdong, 2025. "Do industrial robot applications upgrade the global value chain position? Empirical evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    19. Piotr Lewandowski & Wojciech Szymczak, 2026. "Automation, Trade Unions and Atypical Employment," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 65(3), pages 378-396, July.
    20. Miyoshi, Koyo, 2024. "The decline in the labor share: Evidence from Japanese manufacturers’ panel data," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:35:y:2026:i:2:p:139-144. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jhome/5749 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.