From 2005 to 2016, economists Jon Chung and Yong Suk Lee found that, while robots initially led to lower employment and wages for affected workers, that trend reversed as firms and workers adjusted to the broader adoption of robots in production.

Fact of the Week: Each Industrial Robot Installed in Recent Years Created Between 13 and 16 Jobs

Automation boosts labor productivity, which is key to long-run economic growth. A new study examines the impact of automation on labor productivity in nine manufacturing industries across 12 European countries from 1995 to 2005, comparing the number of robots in use in an industry with the amount it invests in non-ICT capital.

Fact of the Week: Doubling the Intensity of Investment in Robots Increases an Industry’s Labor Productivity by 6.9 Percent, on Average

Fact of the Week: Doubling the Intensity of Investment in Robots Increases an Industry's Labor Productivity by 6.9 Percent, on Average

An October 2023 working paper found that a 1-percent increase in a proxy for robot exposure was associated with a 0.30 percentage point increase per year in productivity and a 0.15-percentage point increase per year in sales.

Fact of the Week: Robot Imports Improved Productivity of French Manufacturing Firms

In 1983, the Japanese government began a series of robot technology R&D projects, which partnered with Japanese firms. New analysis of 25 years of these projects, from 1993 to 2008, found that not only did these projects create valuable results, they also caused participating firms to be more efficient in their future research.

Fact of the Week: Japanese Firms Increased Their Productivity in Robot Technology R&D After Cooperative Research with Government

A study found that countries with the highest robot density will see accelerated economic growth from robot adoption and will also see heightened robot accumulation in the future.

Fact of the Week: Robot Adoption Leads to Economic Growth in Highly Productive Nations

While it may be tempting to focus on the direct job losses caused by robot adoption, it is wrong to conclude that automation constitutes a generalized threat to workers, either in manufacturing or in the broader economy. By choosing to automate, firms can increase their productivity, which allows them to expand and increase their employment.

Fact of the Week: Spanish Manufacturing Firms Increased Their Overall Employment by 10 Percent After Adopting Robots

The global average for industrial robots per 10,000 workers increased to 74 robots in 2016 from 66 robots in 2015, a 12 percent increase, writes John Wu in Innovation Files.

Fact of the Week: There Were 74 Industrial Robots per 10,000 Workers Globally in 2016, up From 66 in 2015, a 12 Percent Increase

Automation’s effect on labor demand has long been seen by the public as negative. Japanese researchers challenged this perception when they examined robots’ impact on employment across a range of Japanese industries from 1978 to 2017.

Fact of the Week: In Japan, a 1 Percent Increase in Robot Adoption Due to Lower Prices Leads to a 0.28 Percent Increase in Employment

A study of 15 manufacturing industries across 18 European nations from 2011 to 2019 found that a 10 percent increase in robot density resulted in a 0.07 percent reduction in fatalities and a 1.96 percent decrease in injuries.

Fact of the Week: Industries Impacted by a Quasi-Robot Tax in South Korea Reduced Industrial Robot Installations by 28 Percent

Related

Fact of the Week: Each Industrial Robot Installed in Recent Years Created Between 13 and 16 Jobs

Fact of the Week: Doubling the Intensity of Investment in Robots Increases an Industry’s Labor Productivity by 6.9 Percent, on Average

Fact of the Week: Robot Imports Improved Productivity of French Manufacturing Firms