By now, you’ve heard that robots are going to take all of the jobs away from us humans. This will lead to mass unemployment, and taxes on robots to offset the loss of revenue from income taxes. People have been heralding the inevitable robot takeover for a long time, but we’ve yet to see any proof that this will actually occur. So why haven’t robots taken all of our jobs?
Increasing automation without increasing unemployment
An article from Quartz examined Germany’s increase in use of industrial robots. Germany relies heavily on manufacturing to claim the title of Europe’s strongest economy. The country has increased the number of industrial robots from 2 per thousand workers to 7.6 per thousand workers over the past two decades.
This isn’t surprising considering that the entire globe is installing more and more robots. What may come as a surprise, however, is the fact that while Germany has nearly quadrupled the number of industrial robots installed, German employment has not suffered.
Instead, people are doing different types of work, and existing jobs are changing. Increased automation has led to fewer entry level jobs in certain industries, but it’s reshaping employment rather than eliminating it.
Is it a matter of time?
We’re now seeing more robots used in factories than ever before, and automation will continue to find its way into our lives as technologies improves. Few people dispute this idea. It’s the affect that additional automation will have on our lives where people tend to disagree.
One popular belief is that increased automation will lead to large numbers of unemployed, and unemployable, people. Those who view this as an inevitability would say that it’s far too early to look for signs of automation affecting employment because the biggest game changer of all – artificial intelligence – isn’t even around yet. Robots will make human workers obsolete, and it’s only a matter of time.
Of course, others truly believe in the resilience of man, and maintain that no matter how advanced technology and automation become, people will still find creative ways to be useful and employable. Even if that means making new jobs.
While some may view the increase in Germany’s automation as proof that people will continue to find new ways to be useful, others will say that it’s only a matter of time.
Either way, there’s no denying that industrial robots will continue to grow in importance. Make sure that your machines are ready for anything. Call 479-422-0390 for Indramat repair, support, or servicing.