Not so disruptive yet? Characteristics, distribution and determinants of robots in Europe

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.strueco.2021.03.010Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • In this paper, we challenge the idea that robots are currently having a significant impact on employment in advanced economies.

  • We show that these kinds of robots are essentially more sophisticated versions of previous existing automation technologies.

  • We also show that the distribution of industrial robots is extremely concentrated in a few economic activities and countries.

  • Recent robotisation was not associated with digitisation or industrial innovation, but with the automation of routine processes in scale intensive industries.

  • Although this may of course change in the future, robots are just not so disruptive yet.

Abstract

This paper analyses data on industrial robots in European manufacturing sectors. In particular, we focus on the applications and characteristics of industrial robots, their distribution over countries and sectors and the main factors that are correlated with robot adoption such as wage levels and robot prices. We argue that, contrary to popular belief, the types of robots widely used in manufacturing today do not imply a discontinuity in terms of automation and labour replacement possibilities. Instead, current robotic technology is better understood as the most recent iteration of industrial automation technologies that have existed for a very long time. These technologies arguably had their biggest impact generations ago, partially explaining changes in employment structures in agricultural and manufacturing sectors that go back to the Industrial Revolution. Thus, the potential employment effects of current robot technology are a priori limited.

Keywords

Robots
Employment
Automation
Drivers of robotization
European Union

JEL classification

E24
D63
J23
J24
O33

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