Around the world, factories, warehouses and shipping centers are changing due to the rise of robotics arms. With a severe labor shortages, mainly in production and supply chains, organizations are relying heavily on automation. To sum up, this isn’t aimed at taking people’s jobs. It requires handling deliveries without enough laborers to meet the demands.
It’s no surprise that thousands of manufacturing jobs are still unfilled, as stated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in their report early this year. Logistics companies in Europe are calling for attention, as DHL and the World Economic Forum foresee a deficit of 2 million workers by the year 2026. We aren’t just recovering from COVID-19 at the moment. The changes happen because of more retirements, altered demographics and a new workforce that is not keen on performing the same demanding jobs repeatedly. However, the main concern is if robots can actually achieve this.
When Humans Exit, Robots Enter—But Not as Villains
Automation is not about artificial intelligence taking people’s jobs despite their protests. We need help so badly that it’s definitely visible now. In Japan and Germany, the number of people in the working population is decreasing faster than anywhere else, so robots are now critical for these countries.
At its Chinese manufacturing plants for electronics, Foxconn is now using thousands of automated arms. However, they didn’t only take away existing employees. Rather, they made changes to the floor layout, making people oversee the machinery and revise its programs. Despite using robotic grids that process orders quickly at Ocado’s British warehouse, the company does not stop recruiting for engineering and systems jobs.
The IFR also reported a 12% rise in worldwide robot installations last year which is something we should not ignore. This is happening in many businesses, not just the largest ones. Even though enterprises of all sizes can benefit from using robots, small to mid-size entities have also started adopting cobots.
Case Study: DHL and the Boston Dynamics Partnership
Here’s the point where meets the ground in warehouses. In 2024, DHL employed Boston Dynamics’ “Stretch” robots to unpack goods from vehicles. A job that used to take people 6 hours to complete, the robots can now do in less than 3. To prevent layoffs, DHL assigned its warehouse staff to tasks such as organizing warehouses and computer monitoring which are easier and usually pay better.
Organizations now base their strategies on this form of automation. Following the McKinsey report’s findings, using robotics for mass tasks at a low level of skill allows companies to increase their work output by 20–40% without reducing their staff.
Robots Aren’t Replacing Workers—They’re Changing the Work
We should stop treating people and computers as being mutually exclusive. What really occurred is an expansion of what people can do. By choosing a cobot like Universal Robots’ UR10e, employees gain more precision and fewer work-related injuries. I had been told by someone working at an auto-parts factory in the Midwest, “I am experiencing less shoulder pain and learning how to program.” The real step forward is moving from brawn to brain.
Clearly, some jobs are simply not returning. On the other hand, new positions are now coming about. Skills needed for repairing robots are now being redirected toward designing AI processes. Recently, IFR President Marina Bill commented that robotics is not making jobs disappear. It involves taking care of tasks that people want less and, most likely, aren’t addressed anyway.
How fast and how smart is the measure, not whether it happens.
It is true that robotics costs a lot in the beginning. Nonetheless, costs are going down and the rate of return is increasing, especially as it becomes harder to find workers. ABI Research forecasts that by 2026, the total value of the warehouse automation market will be over $70 billion, an increase from the current $38 billion. It’s not a bubble; it offers all of us a way to rise above poverty.
The true lesson is that technology only leads the way when other factors are considered. The main factor is your attitude. Company leaders should invest in automation at the heart of their business rather than considering it only as a backup. A country’s leaders and schools are expected to provide training and upgrade systems to support this trend.
Overall, the presence of robots is good for our future.
We should be honest: robots do not oppose workers. Currently, they could be the main reason why global supply chains keep running. Still, those who benefit from the shift won’t only be the early adopters of technology. They will find the right ways to integrate robotics with the creation and use of machines by humans. As things stand now, it isn’t about humans or machines determining the future of work. It depends on how effectively the members of a group interact.