Turning the ‘robots steal jobs’ argument on its head
Author : Mike Wilson, UK General Industry Sales and Marketing Manager, ABB Robotics
19 July 2018
"An interesting comment was made at one of our recent events that made me wonder whether critics linking the growing capabilities of robots with the future demise of human employment are missing the point" says Mike Wilson, UK General Industry Sales and Marketing Manager, ABB Robotics.
Speaking about his experiences of introducing robots to his production operations, one of the delegates at the event described how the process had been simplified by his tech-savvy younger workers. Describing them as the ‘Xbox generation’, he told how his younger team members' familiarity with technology had enabled them to quickly get to grips with using and applying the robots. Having previously been employed as machine minders, these team members are now being used to program and operate the robots.
"Experience has shown that the best results are achieved when manual workers and their robotic counterparts operate side-by-side"
In my own 30-year experience in robotic automation, every advance in their capabilities has invariably proven to actually create jobs, not destroy them.
This makes me wonder whether the whole issue of increased robot capability needs to be turned on its head. With robots able to be applied more easily to a growing range of tasks, surely there are more opportunities to be derived from their use, not less.
"With today's younger generation having been exposed to technology since an early age, there is every chance they will be able to use the growing capabilities of robotic automation in ways that haven't yet been thought of, creating new opportunities for employment"
Take the steady reduction in programming complexity for example. Whereas the first generations of robots required specialist programming skills, advances in technology, including intuitive programming interfaces, automatic algorithm generation and simplified programming languages, have meant that even the least skilled operators can now quickly master the basic steps needed to set up and configure a robot.
"Advances in robotic technology are presenting exciting new opportunities not only for improved manufacturing processes, but for the creation of the new skillsets needed to bring this about"
These have been joined by steady developments in robot flexibility, so that robots can now be used to produce multiple products on the same line simply by switching between programs. With no need to build individual production lines to handle individual products, companies can reduce the time and cost needed to introduce new product ranges. Taking the points made in my article ‘Working with robots’, this ability to produce a greater range of products more quickly, at a reduced cost and to a higher level of quality means extra people are needed, from the factory floor through to back office support.
Advances in other areas such as vision, wireless communications, together with developments in robotic intelligence, are also presenting exciting new opportunities not only for improved manufacturing processes, but for the creation of the new skillsets needed to bring this about.
"The current argument that envisages robots steadily taking over manual tasks assumes that robotic technology will continue to develop whilst human abilities stand still"
Mike Wilson, UK General Industry Sales and Marketing Manager, ABB Robotics
Whilst 'robots are taking our jobs' makes a tempting headline, it ignores the proven ability of humans to adapt and to innovate.
On this point, I firmly believe that the answer lies in education, not just for existing workers but at the grassroots level too.
The purpose of education is to provide the skills a person will need when they start work and to ensure that when they leave the education system they are as well prepared as possible. At present, the UK’s current education framework is arguably still too rooted in the past to meet the high-tech future envisioned by the Government. Many of the subjects taught in schools 30+ years ago are still as likely to be a main feature of today’s school timetables. For an economy that aspires to be a leader in high-end manufacturing, this is something that needs to be urgently addressed.
To the point raised at the start of this article, our current generation of under-25s are probably more tech-savvy than ever. As anyone who has ever tried to prize a teenager away from their Xbox/PlayStation/Smartphone will know, today’s youngsters have a strong affinity for technology, having grown up with it for pretty much the whole of their lives. It’s ironic then that we’re failing so badly to capitalise on this.
More needs to be done to find ways to teach students how these skills can be applied to the real world to give companies what they need to take their operations forward and make the most of the technologies needed to make them more productive. Meeting the needs of tomorrow’s world presents fantastic possibilities, probably even more so than in the past.
The key point is that robots will only make what people need them to make – someone will still need to design the product, market it, sell it, supply it and improve it. Until someone finds a good alternative to money, there will also always need to be someone to buy it – on this point alone, it is unlikely that we will ever have a situation where employment will disappear!
Additionally, someone will always need to program, service and upgrade the robot, irrespective of however clever it gets.
When it comes to teaching these skills, some steps are already being made in the right direction. The provision of more vocational rather than academic subjects, the greater involvement of companies in schools and the growth of technically-focused establishments such as UTCs are just some examples. Yet, to use a phrase that appears in many a school report, we could still do better.
Where the UK’s manufacturing industry is concerned, more needs to be done to promote the exciting face of engineering in this country, highlighting the contribution that industry makes to everyday life. Any company looking to capitalise on the skills of tech-savvy youngsters must also ensure they are tech-savvy themselves, investing in the latest technologies, such as robots, that can help to improve efficiency and competitiveness.
Experience has shown that the best results are achieved when manual workers and their robotic counterparts operate side-by-side. If we can find ways to harness the aptitude for technology of today’s youngsters with the possibilities of modern robotic automation, I firmly believe robots will prove to be the future, not the end, of the next wave of employment.
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