Robots and how they affect the labor force and jobs

Statistics show that there has been a substantial increase in the number of industrial robots in operation globally in the past few years, (Basiri & Mousazadeh, 2018). The figure is expected to grow at a significant rate in the near future which will lead to a large number of robots performing different kinds of operations around the world. For instance, there were proximately 1. 2 billion robots in use in 2013, and the figure was projected to increase significantly in the coming years. Japan leads the countries with the largest number of robots followed closely by North America, China, South Korea, and German, (Basiri & Mousazadeh, 2018). Effect of robots on labor force and jobs In developed countries, a significant number of blue collar jobs have been taken over by robots.

Many robots have been designed to perform many of the tasks meant for the human labor in blue collar jobs. A lot of companies are turning to robots to replace the human labor due to various reasons. It can be because the companies think that the cost of using human labor is higher than using robots because robots will not require salaries but only maintenance, (Gorle & Clive, 2013). Other companies prefer to use robots as a way of taking advantage of the technology advancements to mechanize their operations. As more robots are being made with artificial intelligence, they are being used as alternatives to human labor in offices and other areas with white collar jobs. Some managers have employed robots as their personal assistance who perform the same task that can be performed by human labor such as sending and receiving mails, making appointments, coming up with the relevant response, and follow up on clients.

When this area of robots gets more advanced, then it will lead to insufficient full-time jobs since many major positions will be made obsolete. Henn-na hotel in Japan is one of the hotels in the world that has employed robots to perform several tasks, (De Backer et al, 2018). They are used to check people in and are responsible for escorting clients to their rooms. From the statistics, it is easy to conclude how robots have also led to the creation of employment, therefore, increasing the labor force around the globe. There are instances where robots have been used as equipment to operate in dangerous environments such as in damaged nuclear reactors. Some have also been used in disaster scenes in areas where labor force cannot access due to the danger posed by such tasks.

When these robots are designed to operate in such environments, it affects the labor force and the related jobs in a number of ways. Performing jobs in such an environment could have been complicated to human labor and therefore much time will be spent on being cautious when doing such tasks. The Problem of Unemployment From the above information, it can be concluded that the main problem associated with the robots in the economy is creating insufficient employment to the labor force which leaves a significant part of the labor force unemployed. The magnitude of robots around the globe is increasing significantly due to advancement in technology. Another force responsible for the increase of robots in the employment sector is the reduction of the cost used in the production of robots, (De Backer et al, 2018).

This means that it becomes cheaper to use a robot in performing tasks in a company as compared to human labor. They become even more convenient since they do not demand salary payments, they don’t get tired, and they can’t get sick. Applying these methods to provide a solution depend on many factors such as level of technology in a country as well as the available resources that can be manipulated to ensure that the methods work accordingly. One way to address the unemployment resulting from the use of robots in jobs is by reforming the school curricula to ensure it matches the job sector in the economy. An appropriate school curricular has to be put in place to so that students are not trained for jobs that no longer exist in the economy, (Shravani & Rao, 2018).

Students should be encouraged to continue with their education to enable them to have a broad of choices that they make regarding employment throughout their lives. Art and culture should be promoted to encourage individuals to invest in the sector and reduce the dependence on technical jobs where people are facing competition from robots. Another way that can be used to solve the unemployment is by effectively using technology including robots to benefit people in various ways. McKinsey Global Institute recently did a study that shows that digital talent platforms could have a significant impact on the global gross domestic product, (Gorle & Clive, 2013). This means that when digital tools such as robots are effectively used, they will benefit many people in several ways.

For instance, robots could reduce the amount of work available to the work force in a company which will reduce their working hours. A reduction in the working hours can help individuals to concentrate on other things that could be beneficial in their lives. Reforming school curricular to match the jobs in the economy can be a solution since students will concentrate on the jobs that are available in the respective industries, (Shravani & Rao, 2018). Robots can also be used as a way of creating more employment opportunities by facilitating the growth of businesses and companies. Lastly, robots can be used effectively to increase production which could be beneficial to people. It will allow governments to set up policies that ensure people are provided with survival income, (Sharp, 2018).