RSS Feed https://econ.au.dk/cefau/cefau-sandkasse en-gb Thu, 23 Apr 2026 21:33:56 +0200 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 21:33:56 +0200 TYPO3 EXT:news news-9323 Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:22:03 +0200 CEFAU Chronicle: AI Can Increase Productivity, but It Won’t Happen by Itself https://econ.au.dk/cefau/news/show-1/artikel/cefau-kronik-ai-kan-oege-produktiviteten-men-det-kommer-ikke-af-sig-selv The use of AI in Danish companies is growing rapidly and is already widespread. However, it is not a given that we will reap all the potential productivity gains from AI.

Research from CEFAU shows that AI is continuously changing the content of jobs and the skills in demand. The right competencies are a prerequisite for companies, public workplaces, and society as a whole to realize all of AI's productivity benefits. In a new column in JP Finans, Associate Professor Michael Koch and Senior Analyst Marie Møller Kjeldsen highlight what is needed. It requires action from several sides:

  • Companies must provide targeted upskilling and organize work around tasks that are constantly evolving
  • Educational institutions must ensure updated and relevant education and continuing training opportunities
  • Politically, mobility and skills development must be supported.

The column can be read at JP Finans here.

The full text is freely available on CEFAU's website here.

]]> Op-Ed Marie Møller Kjeldsen 1776262923 1776262923 news-9241 Mon, 30 Mar 2026 13:50:38 +0200 Research Brief: AI and Its Impact on Jobs, Skill Requirements, and Wages https://econ.au.dk/cefau/news/show-1/artikel/research-brief-ai-og-effekten-paa-jobs-kompetencekrav-og-loen

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used in Danish workplaces. A peer-reviewed research article, co-authored by CEFAU researchers Michael Koch and Sarah Schroeder, shows that AI may affect the labor market in a fundamentally different way than previous technological advances. Unlike robots, AI does not primarily impact the labor market by replacing existing jobs or creating new ones. Instead, AI changes the composition of tasks within AI-exposed jobs—and this can have large, heterogeneous effects on wages and skill requirements. If companies—and the broader economy—are to reap the potential productivity gains from artificial intelligence, it requires continuous upskilling and training.

The key takeaways of this research brief are:

  • With a threefold increase over two years, the use of artificial intelligence is rapidly expanding among Danish companies
  • Robots and artificial intelligence affect very different groups in the labor market
  • Robots replace jobs; artificial intelligence changes job content
  • The results indicate a statistically significant positive effect on wages from increased exposure to artificial intelligence
  • AI's effect on wages is not uniform. Employees working in knowledge-intensive services—such as accountants, architects, or programmers—experience an average decline in wages, while lower-educated workers on average experience wage increases
  • AI is also associated with wage decreases for employees whose job content has changed significantly, but who have remained in the same position
  • ChatGPT has not led to a decline in the total number of jobs, but there has been a significant drop in employment among young people in professions highly exposed to artificial intelligence. In contrast, employment among workers over 50 has increased in AI-exposed professions following the launch of ChatGPT
  • The greatest risk of AI is not job loss—but a mismatch between tasks, skills, and wages
  • Education and continuous training in the use of AI are crucial if companies are to take advantage of the productivity improvements that artificial intelligence offers.

The research brief contextualizes and describes the findings in a Danish setting based on the article: Engberg, E., M. Koch, M. Lodefalk, and S. Schroeder (2025): Artificial intelligence, tasks, skills, and wages: Worker-level evidence from Germany. Research Policy, 54(8), 105285.

The research brief can be read here (in Danish).

 

 

 

]]> Research brief Marie Møller Kjeldsen 1774871438 1774871438 news-9012 Thu, 29 Jan 2026 11:54:50 +0100 Op-Ed: Uncertainty is the Biggest Trade Barrier – not Tariffs https://econ.au.dk/cefau/news/show-1/artikel/op-ed-uncertainty-is-the-biggest-trade-barrier-not-tariffs Tariffs and threats of tariff increases – most recently in connection with the Greenland crisis – have featured prominently in the public debate. However, economic research shows that trade barriers are far more complex than tariffs alone. They include everything from regulatory differences, technical standards, legislative and subsidy‑based discrimination, quotas, and cultural and linguistic differences – and, increasingly, political and commercial uncertainty.

The current uncertainty surrounding U.S. tariff rates functions as an invisible trade barrier and may cost Danish firms access to the American market.

This is the topic of an op‑ed in Finans written by CEFAU Centre Director Professor Phillip Schröder and Senior Analyst Tine Jeppesen. They point out, among other things, that there is significant potential for increased trade – both within and beyond Europe – if policymakers work to dismantle barriers. They further argue in favour of export promotion initiatives such as export credit guarantees, which can support Danish exporters in a world where uncertainty has become the norm.

Read more here. 

]]> Op-Ed Tine Jeppesen 1769684090 1769684090