Page 3: How will robots impact the job market in the future?

Note: This is page three of an article on the impact that robots will have on the labor force.

A report from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) showed that from 2008 to 2011, robotics helped to create 80,000 jobs in the electronics industry. Jobs are created from robotics—which are critical to the production and automation process—because electronics manufacturers and their suppliers are gearing up to meet increased demands. As a result, manufacturers are expanding and adding more facilities, recruiting automation specialists and technicians, and hiring support personnel, according to the IFR. The report also states that at least 2.1 million jobs in the electronics industry depend on robotics, and also sites a number of other success stories when it comes to robots creating jobs.

"We (humans) are social animals, and that matters to consumers," said Hummels. "Take a pediatrician, for example. IBM's Watson and other expert systems are being developed to diagnose and provide a course of treatment for illness and disease."

He added, "But when a parent brings their child to the doctor's office, they want a trained individual to reassure them and tell them that their child is going to be okay. They don't want to hear that from a machine."

Hummels will discuss the labor market consequences of automation and robotics in a lecture titled, "Man Versus Machine and the Future of Work," during a conference at Purdue called "Dawn or Doom: The New Technology Explosion." This conference will take place on September 18 and is free and open to the public.

View the press release.

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