Technology has disproportionately displaced clerical workers in big cities

Clerical workers in big metropolitan areas were the most negatively affected by the introduction of information technologies in the period 1980-2015, according to a new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.

Smaller areas in the United States have been slower to adopt new technologies, which in turn has increased their share of workers in jobs performing traditional clerical tasks.

As such, the authors conclude, the continued decline in technology costs along with advancements in AI may have “a particularly negative impact on clerical workers in smaller” areas.

Read the Economic Commentary: Technology Adoption and the Changing Role and Background of Clerical Workers

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks that along with the Board of Governors in Washington DC comprise the Federal Reserve System. Part of the US central bank, the Cleveland Fed participates in the formulation of our nation’s monetary policy, supervises banking organizations, provides payment and other services to financial institutions and to the US Treasury, and performs many activities that support Federal Reserve operations System-wide. In addition, the Bank supports the well-being of communities across the Fourth Federal Reserve District through a wide array of research, outreach, and educational activities.

The Cleveland Fed, with branches in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, serves an area that comprises Ohio, western Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky, and the northern panhandle of West Virginia.

Media contact

Doug Campbell, doug.campbell@clev.frb.org, 513.218.1892