that The International Federation of Robotics publishes an annual report on the use of robots in manufacturing and services. Basic reports are expensive and limited, but some highlights are free.. The top panel shows robots per 10,000 manufacturing workers in 2023. The panel below shows: This figure is similar to the 2017 data. Several themes emerge:
1) Across major manufacturing countries, the number of robots per 10,000 manufacturing workers roughly doubled from 85 to 162.
2) Robots in China will increase particularly rapidly, from the national average in 2017 to nearly three times the national average by 2023.
3) The number of robots in the United States was more than twice the national average in 2017, and less than twice that in 2023.
These figures are just a tally and are not an analysis of the impact on jobs or wages. As national economies focus on different types of manufacturing and face different demographic trends in the number of working-age adults, it is difficult to expect the patterns of robots to be uniform. That said, it’s probably worth paying attention to. Total manufacturing jobs in the U.S. Even though the number of robots per 10,000 U.S. manufacturing workers increased from 200 to 295, there were 12.3 million robots in January 2017 and 12.9 million in December 2023. My view is that more robots are part of the solution to increasing productivity for a healthy American manufacturing industry. sector.
IFR also reports some statistics on “service robots” that do not produce goods. Currently, they are primarily used in the transportation/logistics (think robotic vehicles that roam around warehouses and factories) and hospitality (meaning food and beverage preparation robots and social interaction robots that provide mobile guidance in retail stores, museums and elsewhere). there is. public places”).
