While some predict that robots will increasingly take over jobs, the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) claims that robots contribute to an increase - not decrease - in U.S. employment.
A3 cites vast research that robots are the key to claiming back offshore manufacturing jobs and increasing global competitiveness in its white paper "Robots Fuel the Next Wave of U.S. Productivity and Job Growth"
Robots help companies stay competitive
A3 President Jeff Burnstein says that robots:
Studies in China, Japan, Brazil, and India support this notion. When robot use went up, so did employment.
"Our first figure in the study went back to 1996. We looked at industrial robot shipments versus employment. We assumed that if robots were job killers, you would have expected that unemployment would rise when robot shipments rose. But we found the exact opposite. When sales of robots go up, unemployment falls.... The factors that lead companies to buy robots are the same factors that lead them to employ people," says Burnstein.
A3 cites vast research that robots are the key to claiming back offshore manufacturing jobs and increasing global competitiveness in its white paper "Robots Fuel the Next Wave of U.S. Productivity and Job Growth"
Robots help companies stay competitive
A3 President Jeff Burnstein says that robots:
- Let U.S. companies win new orders
- Improve work environments by removing the boring and dangerous jobs.
Studies in China, Japan, Brazil, and India support this notion. When robot use went up, so did employment.
"Our first figure in the study went back to 1996. We looked at industrial robot shipments versus employment. We assumed that if robots were job killers, you would have expected that unemployment would rise when robot shipments rose. But we found the exact opposite. When sales of robots go up, unemployment falls.... The factors that lead companies to buy robots are the same factors that lead them to employ people," says Burnstein.
"Employment rises and falls for many different reasons, but what we've seen is that automation is not correlated to unemployment in manufacturing as a whole. The real issue that we need to talk about, and the real threat to jobs, is American companies remaining competitive. If they can't remain competitive and stay at home, then we lose jobs. Robots help companies stay competitive."
- A3 President Jeff Burnstein
The question of low-cost labor abroad
Burnstein says that quality - not low-cost labor - keeps companies competitive: quality products and short lead times. "Companies that are closer to their customers can deliver more quickly. That's a reason to be very happy about the advantage that automation provides U.S. manufacturers," he adds.
Moving forward
"We need to make sure we're training people for the jobs of the future," claims Burnstein. "People right now don't have the requisite skills. Workers can get those at technical schools, at community colleges."
Source: New paper argues automation will revive U.S. manufacturing and create new growth, more jobs
Burnstein says that quality - not low-cost labor - keeps companies competitive: quality products and short lead times. "Companies that are closer to their customers can deliver more quickly. That's a reason to be very happy about the advantage that automation provides U.S. manufacturers," he adds.
Moving forward
"We need to make sure we're training people for the jobs of the future," claims Burnstein. "People right now don't have the requisite skills. Workers can get those at technical schools, at community colleges."
Source: New paper argues automation will revive U.S. manufacturing and create new growth, more jobs
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