it harms the us growth potential via a lower labour input from those that are supposed to be the most productive fuels poverty and inequality and potentially harms individual wellbeing in particular inactivity does not only mean foregone revenues but also poorer health and lower social engagement and even reduced marriage prospects for men lower primeage adult labour force participation also means that an increasing number of children are growing in poverty with higher risks of developing health issues later on higher risks of school failure and ultimately lower employment and income prospects oecd a artificial intelligence automation and the takeup of robots are expected to trigger further job dislocations see for instance amtz et al for an estimate of the share of jobs threatened by automation and may push more workers out of labour force