Adam Offord

Robots could create jobs, research finds

News
1 min read

Nearly two-thirds (63.3%) of industry professionals have never witnessed job losses as a result of the introduction of robots or automated processes, research has found.

And, over a third (36.7%) think that robots have often resulted in job creation within the work place.

These are some of the findings from research conducted among more than 1,000 manufacturing professionals by The Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF) in collaboration with CV-Library.

Additional findings show more than seven in 10 (72.6%) manufacturing professionals feel society is scare-mongered into believing robotics and automation are a negative progression, and nearly eight in 10 (78.9%) feel more should be done to promote the benefits of this technology.

Meanwhile, 45.8% claim the business they work for does not communicate the benefits of automation to staff, particularly to those involved in first-hand production, and 52% admit that there is resistance from employees when implementing new automated processes.

The study aimed to ascertain the perception and reality of automation and robotics during a time of ongoing fear and speculation that technology could steal British jobs.

Steve Barraclough, chief executive of the CIEHF, said: “Robots and automation are regularly given a bad name. However, whilst automation might remove some mundane and repetitive jobs, it also makes a significant contribution to 'upskilling' employees, which is often overlooked.

“Automation requires programmers and maintainers in areas where they may not have been previously necessary. This presents a real opportunity to businesses and manufacturers that are embracing change. It’s essential to keep people at the heart of new technology and to ‘on-board’ staff at the earliest opportunity. Human factors plays a significant role in the on-boarding process and is essential to ensuring employees are not resistant to change.”

Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, said: “These latest findings are good news for the UK’s labour market. Skills shortages are an ongoing concern across a number of industries, so it’s refreshing to hear that new technologies and processes in the workplace can help to close this gap and support businesses in upskilling their workforce.”