How Robotics Is Reshaping the Labor Market

Robotisation is disrupting the labour market, threatening many jobs. According to a 2017 MIT study, every added industrial robot per 1,000 workers leads to significant job and wage cuts and exacerbates social inequality. Cashiers, for example, are seeing their profession decline in the face of automated checkouts, although their versatility still keeps them in post. At the same time, artificial intelligence is replacing skilled jobs. Yet some believe that this transformation offers opportunities, freeing workers from repetitive tasks and promoting more rewarding activities. Nevertheless, without rapid adaptation of training and appropriate regulation, robotization risks aggravating unemployment and widening economic disparities. To what extent does the growing integration of robots and artificial intelligence threaten to replace many jobs, and what would be the consequences for unemployment and the casualization of the workforce? How is the rise of robotization change skill in the job market, placing a premium on technical expertise, and what adaptations of education and training systems are needed to prepare for new requirements, while avoiding a digital divide?