It seems logical to suppose that robotics eliminates jobs. Robots have certainly sent thousands of auto workers packing. Yet, the robotics industry is apparently creating thousands of jobs to support the development and production of robots. The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) commissioned a study by Metra Martech to ascertain just how many jobs the robot industry has actually created, while also offering a peek into future job creation in the robotics industry.
The study, "Positive Impact of Industrial Robots on Employment," claims that by 2016, the robot industry will add another 1 million jobs worldwide. That would come in addition to the 8 million to 10 million jobs that Metra Martech estimates have already been created by the robotics industry.
The jobs fall into a number of industries, from consumer electronics to food, solar, and advanced battery manufacturing. The study also questions whether robotics has cut deeply into the manufacturing employment population. The report noted that between 2000 and 2008, manufacturing employment increased in nearly every major industrialized country, even as robotics increased sharply.
There is certainly no doubt robots eliminate factory jobs. The question the study prompts is whether there is a net job loss due to robotics or simply a displacement of jobs from repetitive blue-collar work to technical jobs.
The report’s author, Peter Gorle, noted that robots are being used to carry out work that would not be economically viable in a high-wage economy, thus allowing the manufacturing to remain in the high-wage country. He also pointed to robot use that has nothing to do with job displacement, specifically the use of robots for tasks that are unsafe for humans or tasks that would simply be impossible for humans.
While the United States, Japan, and Germany have led in the adoption of robotics in manufacturing, emerging countries are beginning to deploy robots as well, particularly China and Brazil.
Robots for quality, not job elimination Part of the growth in robot jobs comes from the expanded tasks that are getting shifted to robots. “In former times, robots were primarily used in order to replace workers and save costs. This has changed,” Gudrun Litzenberger, general secretary of the IFR, told Design News. “The manufacturing industry all over the world is forced to improve their production processes. Robots are being used to accomplish this.” He notes that the reasons to use robots have simply diversified.
Because of the diversification and the success of robots in industries such as automotive, there has been a surge in the deployment of robots. “The number of industrial robots in operation will increase from 1 million in 2010 to 1.3 million in 2014,” says Litzenberger.
While automotive has led the development of robotics in manufacturing, robot applications are diversifying into new industries. “The high volume of industrial robots will continue to come from the automotive industry,” Litzenberger notes. “The establishment of electro mobility, new materials such as carbon composites, and modernization of production processes will be the main drivers for investment.”
Another industry that has lately turned to robots for manufacturing is electronics. “The electrical and electronics industry will continue to invest in capacity and modernization. The trend towards more energy-efficient products, increasing consumer markets for electronic products, and new production technologies will further boost robot installations.”
Litzenberger points to other industries where the use of robotics is gaining momentum, including rubber and plastics, metal and machinery, pharmaceuticals, and food and beverage. So, while robots are certainly trimming repetitive manufacturing jobs, the robotics industry continues to add jobs at an aggressive rate.
Yes, I agree with your point -- as does the Association of Robotics. If the computer industry is any indication, job creation in robotics may be greater than we think. The computer industry -- according to gov. studies -- did not deliver net job reduction until the 1990s. The industry simply created more jobs (in dollars) than it eliminated. Of course, once the efficiencies kicked in, there was massive job reduction. Eight ga-zillion secretaries lost their jobs.
Interesting point about the displacement of jobs (as opposed to a simple net loss of jobs). It's clear that automation will continue to reduce the number of jobs in certain sectors of manufacturing. The following article concedes this, but offers the similar perspective that automation may also open doors to new jobs related to the building and maintenance of robots: http://blogs.ptc.com/2012/04/06/does-increased-automation-steal-manufacturing-jobs/
Good comments, Ervin. Robots eliminate jobs that are often repetitive and unpleasant. while the robot industry will not create as many jobs as it eliminates, the jobs it will create will tend to be technical jobs that are likely to be more creative than repetitive and thus more fulfilling.
1) Yes, robots decrease jobs where they are applied,
2) Price of end product generally goes down and supply increases
3) Demand increases due to lower price which in turn increases sales
4) Supporting jobs increase due to larger production quantities which in turn increase orders from said manufacturer.
So while robots decrease jobs in one industry they raise the demand of the population which in turn causes a chain event that brings us back to more jobs. Ideally everything will be extremely cheap and everything will be made by robots. We will all be software and hardware engineers and the world will be a better place... Well almost we would still have lawyers and politicians....
Robots for quality, not job elimination is an interesting point to note.
The manufacturing industry all over the world is forced to improve their production processes. Robots are being used to accomplish this. while robots are certainly trimming repetitive manufacturing jobs, the robotics industry continues to add jobs at an aggressive rate.
Again, good points Naperlou. The human brain is hard to beat. I can certainly understand that computers can beat us on memory and even on some deduction, but we have intuitive powers that are quite remarkable and they will not quickly be replaced. We've all read the articles that Steve Jobs and Einstein were smart, but they were not the smartest guys in the room. However, they both had intuition that can't be matched by smarts. Einstein himself said "You can't get to my equation by deduction."
Good point, Naperlou. I'm glad to see robots take some of these jobs. The repetitive-motion jobs are soul killers. I know, I did these jobs when I was young, There was a time when these jobs paid well. Those days are over. Let machines do these jobs. People will figure out alternatives for work. It's not that hard to get an education in this country.
A life of doing the same weld all day long for years -- with slight adjustments for model changes -- is not a fulfilling life. The pay may have made it worthwhile 40 years ago, but those coming into these jobs now are not getting the same deal.
Jennifer, that may yet come to pass. One thing to remember, though, is that robots are machines. They need to be built, monitored, calibrated, repaired and replaced. They do have a finite lifetime. This is mostly becuase those pesky human engineers keep coming up with something better. I have lived with the expectation that computers would take over jobs that required real thinking for decades. Well, it has not happened yet. I have actually designed systems that had some "intelligence" in them. Believe me, it is rudimentary.
Machines are just an extension of the human being. They are tools. As we develop tools and do research we keep altering the mix between the human and machine. I wouldn't be so pessimistic.
Alex, actually, the robot situation is exactly analogous to the computerization situation. In the end, a more efficient economy means that more products will be made with higher quality at lower cost. It does come with dislocation, but that is inevitable.
I am old enough to remember a cartoon that my father had. It said, you too could be replaced by a button, I still tell that to my sons, and they just look at me funny.
Andrew, that is quite heartening that your company has created 39 jobs from ABB's welding robot department. I wonder how that compares with other industrial robot uses aside from welding. Does anyone know?
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