Numerous pundits have forecast that U.S. manufacturing will follow the path of agriculture: Automation will replace human workers and steal all of our jobs. It will be an automation doomsday. Clearly, returning jobs will be, on average, higher skilled and fewer in number than when the work was lost offshore years ago. However, in reality, automation is key to reshoring and thus to U.S. job growth.
Automation will most certainly transform jobs in manufacturing. However, the U.S. is not the only country in the world that is adopting automation. Other countries, especially China, are investing heavily in these technologies, too. Market research firm International Data Corp. reports that China’s spending on robotics will reach $59.4 billion in 2020, accounting for about 30 percent of worldwide spending on the technology.