Social skills, technological exposure and wages

The discussion about how technological change affects labor market outcomes usually focuses on whether they replace labor or not. However, little is known about essential skills that are needed for keeping up in the labor market once a technology adoption occurs. In particular, skills that are difficult to be replaced by machines are at the heart of the debate such as those related to sociability and human interaction. I study the returns to social, cognitive, and non-cognitive skills in the light of technological innovations from 1996 to 2017 in Great Britain. I found that social skills are relevant for obtaining higher wages, and some evidence in favor of their importance when there is an adoption of new technology in business.