Technological progress has had varying effects upon the workforce in the past. Whilst the fear of mass unemployment has never been realized, the negative impacts on employment in the so-called 'short-run" can sometimes last for decades. Since automation mostly happens via simplification of the task in question, its impact is often underestimated. It is therefore likely that automation will harm a large number of workers in the future. However, technology is not an unstoppable force, since the adoption of new technologies is mediated by public attitudes towards technological development and automation.