Automation Canada Quarterly Volume 1 Issue 1 - 3

Robots and the Workforce Shift
FROM THE EDITOR: OWEN HURST
In the first issue of Automation Canada's
newly revamped digital handbook series we
take a close look at robotic integration and
the rising trend toward the application of
cobots. In this issue we present articles
discussing if a cobot is right for you, cobot
use in injection molding and touch on how
automation, and in particular robots,
increase productivity and even hiring.

This last point stands in strong contrast to
public opinion that robots in general are
taking away jobs and decreasing the need for
workers in a variety of sectors. This image has
largely been driven by mainstream consumer
media, and by those who may have lost their
job or been reallocated as the result of
increased use of robotics in areas such as
manufacturing.
There has been a lot of ink spilled on this
topic, and vast statistics can be drawn on to
C A N A D I A N A U TO M AT I O N

make the argument for both sides. Here I
present my opinion on this topic without
going deeply into varying statistics, but
rather draw on several years of experience
working with robotic manufacturers,
integrators and end-users. Prior to my
current role I spent several years as a
historian, and thus also draw on a historical
example of similar workforce shift.
The base question is, are robots and cobots
replacing tasks previously performed by a
person? The answer to that is yes. However,
most seem to stop the conversation here or
focus only on this point and not the full
ramifications of the growing trend towards
robots. And therefore, the real question
should be: does the use of robots to perform
tasks reduce the overall number of available
jobs? The answer to that is largely no, in fact
it is creating jobs and will continue to do so.
The issue primarily arises from the transition
period to the new jobs that are being
created by the use of robots. As robots, and
cobots, take on tasks and displace workers
that performed those tasks there will be a
period of concern, however the wide range
of educated positions that are created by
the implementation of robots is increasing.
In the long run we will see a decrease in
labour intensive jobs, but a growing number
of educated positions needed in areas like

O PI N I O N PI E C E
design,
engineering,
maintenance.

control

and

I have also heard several arguments that
never before has a new technology caused
such a disruption to a defined workforce
(using the example of manufacturing facility
workers). However, if we look back, we can
see that what drove many workers into
manufacturing in the first place is not that
different of a situation than the current
transition.
In the early 1900's, large numbers of workers
in North America were employed in the
agricultural space, performing a variety of
farm duties, many of which required a large
labour force. However, technology, and
more specifically the introduction of farm
equipment, tractors for example, created a
massive shift in labour in an extremely short
period of time. In 1915 it was estimated there
were 25,000 tractors in use in the US, by
1920 that number had jumped to almost
250,000 and then to almost 1 million by
1930. These numbers reflect only about 15%
of US farms at the time but continued to
rapidly increase.
So, for those considering right now how
technology is displacing workers I hope the
first question that comes to mind is what
happened to vast number of farm laborers as
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

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Automation Canada Quarterly Volume 1 Issue 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automation Canada Quarterly Volume 1 Issue 1
