Robots changing the working world

Workers around the globe have rated the fact that ‘colleague robots’ can take over work that is detrimental to health or handle hazardous materials positively.

With around 1.8 million global industrial robots, the number of robots has reached a new record in factories around the world.

However, employees are worried about how their own training can keep up with the pace of the working world 4.0. These are the findings of the automatica Trend Index 2018.

7,000 employees in the USA, Asia and Europe in a representative survey of the population were interviewed by a market research institute on behalf of automatica.

When it comes to their own country, only about one in four employees are convinced that training and development already plays a key role in the workplace of the future. This new collaboration with robots is regarded by the majority of all seven countries (average 68%) as an opportunity to master higher-skilled work.

Particularly in China (86%) and in the USA (74%), people expect that robotics automation will provide added impetus to further their vocational training. The number of higher-skilled and better paid jobs will rise in the future with the new human-robot teams – according to about one in two survey respondents in Germany, France, Italy, the UK and Japan. In China and the United States, as many as 80% of workers presume this will be the case.

The companies can count on a positive basic attitude among their employees regarding robotics and automation. In the working world of the future, human-robot teams will improve manufacturing by combining human talents with the strengths of robotics – some 70% believe. When people and machines work hand-in-hand without a safety fence, people need talents such as judgement and fine motor skills. The robot can score with power and precision.

‘As the survey shows, employees want more consistent commitments from politicians, industry and science as regards training and development for work 4.0,’ said Falk Senger, managing director of technology fairs at Messe München.