Robots at work

THE POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF AUTOMATISATION are subject to increasing attention. But despite this great interest, there are hardly any empirical studies of the economic effects of robotisation. Industry robots create a dramatic increase in the possibility of replacing human labour as compared to other kinds of machines. This is the first study of what the effects of the increased use of industry robots have been on productivity and employment. The data material covers 17 countries, among these Sweden, and 14 industries between 1993 and 2007.

PRICE FALL PAWED THE WAY FOR ROBOTS. The price of robots was halved in the period 1990 to 2005. The price fall was even larger if taking the quality increases into consideration. In 2005, a robot cost about a fifth of what it cost in 1990, adjusted for quality improvements. On average, there was an increase in the use of robots by 150 per cent in 1993–2007.

INCREASED OUTPUT AND PRODUCTIVITY. The increased use of robots contributed to an increase in yearly GDP growth and labour productivity of about 0.4 percentage points on average in the studied countries. This corresponds to more than a tenth of total GDP growth and more than a sixth of the growth in labour productivity in the period 1993–2007.

LOW-SKILL JOBS IN THE RISK ZONE. The total number of hours worked does not seem to have been affected by the increased automatisation. However, there are signs that robots decreased the number of working hours for low-skill labour and, to a certain extent, also for medium-skilled labour. The effect on hours worked for the high-quality labour force seems to be weakly positive, but the results are not as certain in this case.

AUTHOR Georg Graetz is a Researcher in Economics at Uppsala University and affiliated with London School of Economics. E-mail: georg.graetz@nek.uu.se.
Guy Michaels is a Researcher in Economics at London School of Economics. E-mail: g.michaels@lse.ac.uk.

Media impact

1. Verkstäderna, 16/2 2016: Many people miss out a rapid payback for automation
2. Verkstäderna 12/2 2016: Stenberg’s customers are keeping pace
3. Automation, 26/1 2016: Germany is far ahead of Sweden in robot use
4. Esbri, 15/15 2015: Book tip: Digital Innovation
5. Arbetsmarknadsnytt, 7/12 2015: Sweden is lagging behind Germany in robotics
6. Sundsvalls Tidning, 2/12 2015: Don’t be afraid of the robots – they are our friends
7. Ny Teknik, 2/12 2015: Germany increases its lead over Sweden
8. Oscarshamns-Tidningen, 1/12 2015: Robots take and create new jobs
9. Sundsvalls Tidning, 30/11 2015: Working with robots
10. Blekinge Läns Tidning, 27/11 2015: Sweden is behind in the robot league
11. Kristdemokraten, 25/11: 150 percent
12. Västerbottens-Kuriren, 24/11 2015: Opportunities with robotization
13. Bohusläningen, 24/11 2015: The machines take and give jobs
14. Västerbottens-Kuriren, 24/11 2015: Susanne Nyström: Opportunities with robotization
15. Upphandling24, 20/11 2015: No, robots have not yet pushed out human labor
16. Arbetet, 20 nov 2015: 2,2 robots per million
17. Hallandsposten, 20/11 2015: Do not fear robots at work
18. Bohusläningen, 19/11 2015: Working with robots
19. Hela Hälsingland 19/11 2015: Robot-workers are already in the labor market
20. Motala & Vadstena Tidning, 19/11 2015: Promote robotization
21. Trelleborgs Allehanda, 19/11 2015: Robots that work
22. Kristianstadsbladet, 19/11 2015: Could a robot do your job?
23. Tidningen Ångermanland, 19/11 2015: We should not fear robots in society
24. Jönköpings-Posten, 19/11 2015: Robots for growth
25. Ttela, 19/11 2015: “We should not fear robots in society”
26. Bohusläningen, 19/11 2015: Robots will take our jobs
27. Strömstads Tidning/Norra Bohuslän, 19/11 2015: Working with robots
28. Jönköping-Posten, 18/11 2015: The robot provides growth
29. Verkstadsforum.se, 18/11 2015: Robots take jobs from human labour, but they also create new ones
30. Kristianstadsbladet, 18/11 2015: Could a robot do your job?
31. Evertiq, 17/11 2015: Sweden far behind Germany in robotics
32. Underhållsnyheter, 17/11 2015: Swedish industry is behind in robotics
33. Västerbottens-Kuriren, 17/11 2015: The machines both give and take jobs
34. Metro, 17/11 2015: Robotics. The machines both take and give jobs
35. Värnamo Nyheter, 17/11 2015: Robots give and take jobs
36. Vimmerby Tidning, 17/11 2015: Robots give and take jobs
37. Gefle Dagblad, 17/11 2015: Sweden is behind in the robot league
38. Svenska Dabladet, 17/11 2015: Sweden is behind in the robot league
39. Nerikes Allehanda, 17/11 2015: The machines both give and take jobs
40. Dagens Arena 17/11 2015: Robots can save the labor market
41. Borås tidning, 16/11 2015: The machines take and give jobs
42. Industrinyheter 16/11 2015: The machines take and give jobs
43. Ny Teknik 16/11 2015: Germany increases its lead over Sweden in the robot league
44. Affärsvärlden, 16/11 2015: Robots both take and give jobs
45. Ny Teknik, 16/11 2015: Robots both take and give jobs
46. Dagens Nyheter, 16/11 2015: The machines both take and give jobs
47. Dagens PS, 16/11 2015: Research: Machines both take and give jobs
48. TT Nyhetsbyrån, 16/11 2015: Fact: The study in brief
49. Kollega, 16/11 2015: The robots do not take our jobs
50. Ny teknik, 16/11 2015: Sweden behind in the robot league
51. Kristianstadsbladet, 16/11 2015: Sweden behind in the robot league
52. Verkstäderna, 16/11 2015: Swedish industry far behind Germany in robotics
53. Dagens industri, 16/11 2015: Sweden is behind in the robot league
54. News 55, 16/11 2015: Sweden is behind in the robot league
55. TT Nyhetsbyrån, 16/11 2015: Sweden is behind in the robot league