Workers should be offered targeted training and education to prepare them for changes due to the deployment of robots and automation in the workplace. This is what the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) advocates.
Almost 7 in 10 workers believe robots and automation will allow them to perform higher-skilled work, organisation figures show. IFR predicts that more than 3 million industrial robots will be deployed worldwide by 2020. This would mean that the number of industrial robots worldwide will double within seven years; in 2014, nearly 1.5 million were operational worldwide.
14% growth per year
The number of industrial robots has been growing since 2009. In both 2016 and 2017, the number of robots worldwide increased by 12%. The IFR expects growth to increase further in the coming years; from 2018 to 2020, the number of industrial robots is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 14%.
"IT-like robotic process automation is by far the biggest contributor to job transformation," said Junji Tsuda, director of the IFR. "Companies and governments must work together to ensure workers have the skills required by the technological changes."
Mapping changes
The IFR cites Singapore as one of the countries that has made the most progress in preparing workers for this change. Through the SkillsFuture programme, the Singapore government is asking employers to identify what changes will take place in their sector over the next three to five years and what skills workers will need to prepare for them. Using the results of this survey, transformation maps will be drawn up for each sector to support workers in their personal development.
Every Singaporean citizen over the age of 25 has also been given a credit of 345 Singapore dollars, equivalent to about 220 euros, at their disposal. This credit can be spent on courses at 500 approved training providers, including universities and online courses (MOOCs).
99 robots for every 10,000 European workers
Earlier this year, the IFR announced that robot density worldwide rose again in 2017. An average of 74 robots per 10,000 workers were active in 2017, up from 66 a year earlier. At 99 robots per 10,000 workers, robot density in Europe is the highest of any continent.
The top 10 most automated countries are as follows:
- South Korea
- Singapore
- Germany
- Japan
- Sweden
- Denmark
- United States
- Italy
- Belgium
- Taiwan
Netherlands ranks 12th.
Automation rate of the manufacturing industry
"Robot density is an excellent standard for comparing the degree of automation of the manufacturing industry in different countries," said Junji Tsuda, president of the International Federation of Robotics. "As a result of the large number of robot installations in Asia in recent years, this region is experiencing the highest growth. Between 2010 and 2016, the average annual growth rate of robot density was 9 per cent in Asia, 7 per cent in the Americas and 5 per cent in Europe."
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: IFR
Source photo: Pixabay / antoniohez
