Numerous studies have mostly debunked the notion that robotics and automation adversely affect manufacturing jobs. For example, a 2016 study found that robots have not hindered manufacturing job growth, but added to it. Between the end of 2009 and the end of 2014, 62 corporations with collectively the largest installed base of robots added 1.25 million new jobs to their payroll, an overall increase of more than 20 percent.
More recently, a study by LG Electronics found that automation boosted productivity, decreased defects and increased safety at the company’s appliance assembly plant in Changwon, South Korea. From 2017 to 2022, the facility increased output by 25 percent without increasing head count.