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Dr Verena Plümpe

Dr Verena Plümpe
Current Position

since 1/25

Economist at the Centre for Business and Productivity Dynamics (IWH-CBPD)

Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) – Member of the Leibniz Association

Research Interests
  • technological change
  • empirical labour economics
  • empirical productivity research
  • structural change

Verena Plümpe joined the institute in 2019 and the Centre for Business and Productivity Dynamics (IWH-CBPD) in January 2025. Her research focuses on technological change and labour markets, empirical labour economics, empirical productivity research, and structural change.

Verena Plümpe received her bachelor's degree from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and her master's degree from Leipzig University. She completed her doctorate at the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg.

Your contact

Dr Verena Plümpe
Dr Verena Plümpe
- Department Centre for Business and Productivity Dynamics
Send Message +49 345 7753-868 Personal page

Publications

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Robots, Occupations, and Worker Age: A Production-unit Analysis of Employment

Liuchun Deng Steffen Müller Verena Plümpe Jens Stegmaier

in: European Economic Review, November 2024

Abstract

We analyse the impact of robot adoption on employment composition using novel micro data on robot use in German manufacturing plants linked with social security records and data on job tasks. Our task-based model predicts more favourable employment effects for the least routine-task intensive occupations and for young workers, with the latter being better at adapting to change. An event-study analysis of robot adoption confirms both predictions. We do not find adverse employment effects for any occupational or age group, but churning among low-skilled workers rises sharply. We conclude that the displacement effect of robots is occupation biased but age neutral, whereas the reinstatement effect is age biased and benefits young workers most.

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Robot Adoption at German Plants

Liuchun Deng Verena Plümpe Jens Stegmaier

in: Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik, No. 3, 2024

Abstract

Using a newly collected dataset at the plant level from 2014 to 2018, we provide the first microscopic portrait of robotization in Germany and study the correlates of robot adoption. Our descriptive analysis uncovers five stylized facts: (1) Robot use is relatively rare. (2) The distribution of robots is highly skewed. (3) New robot adopters contribute substantially to the recent robotization. (4) Robot users are exceptional. (5) Heterogeneity in robot types matters. Our regression results further suggest plant size, high-skilled labor share, exporter status, and labor shortage to be strongly associated with the future probability of robot adoption.

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Micro Data on Robots from the IAB Establishment Panel

Verena Plümpe Jens Stegmaier

in: Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik, No. 3, 2023

Abstract

Micro-data on robots have been very sparse in Germany so far. Consequently, a dedicated section has been introduced in the IAB Establishment Panel 2019 that includes questions on the number and type of robots used. This article describes the background and development of the survey questions, provides information on the quality of the data, possible checks and steps of data preparation. The resulting data is aggregated on industry level and compared with the frequently used robot data by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) which contains robot supplier information on aggregate robot stocks and deliveries.

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Browse all refereed publications

Working Papers

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Robots, Occupations, and Worker Age: A Production-unit Analysis of Employment

Liuchun Deng Steffen Müller Verena Plümpe Jens Stegmaier

in: IWH Discussion Papers, No. 5, 2023

Abstract

We analyse the impact of robot adoption on employment composition using novel micro data on robot use in German manufacturing plants linked with social security records and data on job tasks. Our task-based model predicts more favourable employment effects for the least routine-task intensive occupations and for young workers, with the latter being better at adapting to change. An event-study analysis of robot adoption confirms both predictions. We do not find adverse employment effects for any occupational or age group, but churning among low-skilled workers rises sharply. We conclude that the displacement effect of robots is occupation biased but age neutral, whereas the reinstatement effect is age biased and benefits young workers most.

read publication
Browse all working papers
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