Posted on 05/29/2022 6:27:52 PM PDT by Brookhaven
As employers across the country look for ways to fill gaps in the workforce, many are increasingly turning to automated technology and robots for help.
While the turn to automation is certainly not a new phenomenon, it has become a balm for companies trying to meet demand in a recent tough market, according to the Wall Street Journal. Robot orders are up 40% in the first quarter of 2022 and 21% overall in 2021, according to the Automation Development Association, putting the industry value at an estimated $1.6 billion.
“People want to cut the workforce,” the CEO of Ametek Inc. told Bloomberg in November. David A. Zapico, noting that the automation equipment company was “going full blast” to keep up with demand.
Robots provide at least a temporary solution for businesses struggling to hire in the tightest job market since World War II, overshadowed by the pandemic, record high layoffs and huge economic shocks.
In March, the number of vacancies in the US hit a record 11.5 million, and some experts predicted that the labor crisis could last for several years. The shortage has already had a significant impact on everything from air travel to retail as companies are forced to scale back production with fewer resources.
However, advanced technology is allowing machines to help a growing number of industries while becoming more accessible at the same time.
“Robots are getting easier to use,” Michael Cicco, chief executive officer of industrial robot supplier Fanuc America, told the Wall Street Journal. “Before, companies thought that implementing automation was too difficult or too expensive.”
But as the use of robots rises, some are voicing concern that machines are crowding out humans as the labor crisis eventually eases.
“Automation, if developed very quickly, could destroy a lot of jobs,” Daron Acemoglu, an economics professor at MIT, told the magazine. “The labor shortage will not last long. It’s temporary.”
Where have all the workers gone?
The labor shortage will end by December. Just my little economic prediction.
...and defacto $15.00+/hour minimum wage.
🎶🎵Long time passing….🎶🎶
I'll like a robot to hand me my coffee and pancakes. I don't need a waitress with an attitude to do that. We can save them for high class restaurants where they can earn much more in tips and the service is likely to be much better.
Companies need to fire more people in the call centers and install more robots. They always provide me with exactly the answers I need to my questions and they help keep my blood pressure low.
Tesla stock is relatively cheap right now, it is going to multiply quickly as Tesla robots get introduced for sale next year. Their robotics division might exceed their car profits in the next few years. They utilize many robots in their car factories, and are now developing humanoid type robots (Teslabot) that will replace some human workers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV_1ka6_61w
That’s my question. People say they have gone to other sectors of the economy. Which one? Not financial services, accounting, manufacturing, research and development, warehousing, trucking, etc. Are they dead?
Usually in our department each engineer gets a say in a new hire. With the exception of a mom or dad who stayed at home because they had very young children I would never give a “yes” to someone who stayed at home because the government payed them to do so.
And I’d bet the friggin’ robots are Chinese.
And they don’t talk in sing-song broken Chenglish.
Sooner or later it will get to the point where it can fool people into thinking they are talking to an actual human , otherwise known as the Turing Test.
Two new Mexican restaurants are opening soon. Hiring signs everywhere, but insufficient number of people to fill the positions. There really isn't money for robots, so owners are opting to close and retire.
LOL. Good. Very good.
“Robots provide at least a temporary solution for businesses struggling to hire in the tightest job market since World War II, overshadowed by the pandemic, record high layoffs and huge economic shocks.”
BALONEY.
here in L.A. McD’s starts at $18 / HR> and they are STILL not hiring to their standards. They even have POSTERS about their starting wage above the Golden Arches. It’s better to receive welafre and EBT cards rthan work.
How many of these employers still have vax mandates in place, or had them previously? That’s worth considering.
Gonna be interesting when surgeons are replaced by surgical robots.
What this creates is demand for robot manufacturing and tech for repair and maintenance.
Very few schools teach robotics as it involves mechanical as well as knowledge of electronics and computers.
We talk about eliminating demand for illegals in farming.
Nearly all farming can be simplified with robotics.
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