Researcher ORCID Identifier

0009-0000-5229-9698

Graduation Year

2024

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Economics

Reader 1

Roberto Pedace

Reader 2

Winston Ou

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Rights Information

© 2024 Larkin C Barnard-Bahn

Abstract

As the abilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) grow, automation anxiety (the fear of being replaced by technology) has plagued the workforce—especially after the launch of the advanced Generative AI tool ChatGPT. To avoid structural unemployment, workers may need to invest in developing skills not easily replaced by AI. Some scholars argue that AI is less able to replicate soft skills than hard skills, but the literature lacks studies that indicate a causal effect across industries and occupations. This paper investigates how the public release of ChatGPT has influenced the demand for soft skills relative to hard skills in the U.S. job market. Analyzing 342,213 Indeed job listings from January 2019 to December 2023, the regression controls for role, company, industry, and macroeconomic factors. The findings suggest a statistically significant, positive effect of ChatGPT’s release on the relative demand for soft skills.

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