IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i10p7998-d1146551.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Industrial Robots and the Employment Quality of Migrant Workers in the Manufacturing Industry

Author

Listed:
  • Bo Chen

    (College of Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315212, China)

  • Dong Tan

    (The School of Economics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China)

Abstract

Machine and manufacturing migrant workers in the new era are side by side cooperation and interaction of the new labor force form. Based on the dynamic survey of China’s floating population in 2011 and the data collected by the International Federation of Robotics, the Bartik instrument variable method is used to analyze the impact of industrial robots on the employment quality of the floating population in manufacturing industry at the city level. As the city scale expands, industrial robots have an inverted U-shaped effect on the employment quality of manufacturing migrant workers. Industrial robots have a positive U-shaped influence on the number of hours that migrant workers in manufacturing work, with an inflexion point of 1.3721 units per 10,000 workers. The influence of industrial robots on migrant workers’ working conditions in the manufacturing sector was U-shaped, and 1.668 units per 10,000 workers marked the tipping point. Nevertheless, industrial robots have an inverse influence on the occupation stability of migrant workers in the manufacturing industry. Precisely, the installation density of industrial robots in the manufacturing industry has a detrimental impact on the occupational stability of migrant employees. Industrial robots are negatively associated with the working conditions of migrant workers employed in manufacturing. There were detrimental effects on the employment quality of manufacturing migrant workers in cities with higher and lower population densities. In the end, for every manufacturing farmer using an industrial robot, the likelihood of being miserable and almost happy went up by 2.64 percent and 5.59 percent, respectively, while the likelihood of being happy went down by 7.62 percent.

Suggested Citation

  • Bo Chen & Dong Tan, 2023. "Industrial Robots and the Employment Quality of Migrant Workers in the Manufacturing Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-21, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:10:p:7998-:d:1146551
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/10/7998/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/10/7998/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pierre‐Philippe Combes & Gilles Duranton & Laurent Gobillon & Diego Puga & Sébastien Roux, 2012. "The Productivity Advantages of Large Cities: Distinguishing Agglomeration From Firm Selection," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 80(6), pages 2543-2594, November.
    2. Bożena Gajdzik & Sandra Grabowska & Sebastian Saniuk, 2021. "A Theoretical Framework for Industry 4.0 and Its Implementation with Selected Practical Schedules," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-24, February.
    3. Tiago Neves Sequeira & Susana Garrido & Marcelo Santos, 2021. "Robots are not always bad for employment and wages," International Economics, CEPII research center, issue 167, pages 108-119.
    4. David Autor & Anna Salomons, 2018. "Is Automation Labor-Displacing? Productivity Growth, Employment, and the Labor Share," NBER Working Papers 24871, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Michèle Baumann & Kénora Chau & Bernard Kabuth & Nearkasen Chau, 2014. "Association Between Health-Related Quality of Life and Being an Immigrant Among Adolescents, and the Role of Socioeconomic and Health-Related Difficulties," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-21, January.
    6. Jung, Jin Hwa & Lim, Dong-Geon, 2020. "Industrial robots, employment growth, and labor cost: A simultaneous equation analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    7. Epstein, Gil S. & Hillman, Arye L., 2003. "Unemployed immigrants and voter sentiment in the welfare state," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(7-8), pages 1641-1655, August.
    8. Georg Graetz & Guy Michaels, 2018. "Robots at Work," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 100(5), pages 753-768, December.
    9. Lucie DAVOINE & Christine ERHEL & Mathilde GUERGOAT-LARIVIERE, 2008. "Monitoring quality in work: European Employment Strategy indicators and beyond," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 147(2-3), pages 163-198, June.
    10. Chun-Chung Au & J. Vernon Henderson, 2006. "Are Chinese Cities Too Small?," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 73(3), pages 549-576.
    11. Daron Acemoglu & Claire Lelarge & Pascual Restrepo, 2020. "Competing with Robots: Firm-Level Evidence from France," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 110, pages 383-388, May.
    12. repec:hal:pseose:hal-00812695 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Südekum, Jens & Dauth, Wolfgang & Findeisen, Sebastian & Woessner, Nicole, 2017. "German Robots – The Impact of Industrial Robots on Workers," CEPR Discussion Papers 12306, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    14. Jeffrey D. Sachs & Laurence J. Kotlikoff, 2012. "Smart Machines and Long-Term Misery," NBER Working Papers 18629, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. David H. Autor & Frank Levy & Richard J. Murnane, 2003. "The skill content of recent technological change: an empirical exploration," Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, issue Nov.
    16. Qiong Wang & Jiahui Shao, 2022. "Research on the Influence of Economic Development Quality on Regional Employment Quality: Evidence from the Provincial Panel Data in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-22, August.
    17. Lucie Davoine & Christine Erhel & Mathilde Guergoat-Larivière, 2008. "Monitoring quality in work: european employment strategy indicators and beyond," PSE-Ecole d'économie de Paris (Postprint) halshs-00317347, HAL.
    18. Hong Cheng & Ruixue Jia & Dandan Li & Hongbin Li, 2019. "The Rise of Robots in China," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 33(2), pages 71-88, Spring.
    19. Nicole Coomer & Walter Wessels, 2013. "The Effect of the Minimum Wage on Covered Teenage Employment," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 253-280, September.
    20. Faber, Marius, 2020. "Robots and reshoring: Evidence from Mexican labor markets," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    21. Putnick, Diane L. & Bornstein, Marc H., 2015. "Is child labor a barrier to school enrollment in low- and middle-income countries?," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 112-120.
    22. Liu, Jun & Chang, Huihong & Forrest, Jeffrey Yi-Lin & Yang, Baohua, 2020. "Influence of artificial intelligence on technological innovation: Evidence from the panel data of china's manufacturing sectors," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    23. Timothy J. Bartik, 1991. "Who Benefits from State and Local Economic Development Policies?," Books from Upjohn Press, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, number wbsle.
    24. Francesco Caselli & Alan Manning, 2019. "Robot Arithmetic: New Technology and Wages," American Economic Review: Insights, American Economic Association, vol. 1(1), pages 1-12, June.
    25. (Maggie) Fu, Xiaoqing & Bao, Qun & Xie, Hongjun & Fu, Xiaolan, 2021. "Diffusion of industrial robotics and inclusive growth: Labour market evidence from cross country data," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 670-684.
    26. Kaat Van Hoyweghen & Goedele Van den Broeck & Miet Maertens, 2020. "Employment Dynamics and Linkages in the Rural Economy: Insights from Senegal," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(3), pages 904-928, September.
    27. Lucie Davoine & Christine Erhel & Mathilde Guergoat-Larivière, 2008. "Monitoring quality in work: european employment strategy indicators and beyond," Post-Print halshs-00317347, HAL.
    28. Lihua Zhang & Tian Gan & Jiachen Fan, 2023. "Do industrial robots affect the labour market? Evidence from China," Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(3), pages 787-817, July.
    29. Van Aerden, Karen & Puig-Barrachina, Vanessa & Bosmans, Kim & Vanroelen, Christophe, 2016. "How does employment quality relate to health and job satisfaction in Europe? A typological approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 132-140.
    30. Ballestar, María Teresa & Díaz-Chao, Ángel & Sainz, Jorge & Torrent-Sellens, Joan, 2021. "Impact of robotics on manufacturing: A longitudinal machine learning perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    31. Acemoglu, Daron & Autor, David, 2011. "Skills, Tasks and Technologies: Implications for Employment and Earnings," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 12, pages 1043-1171, Elsevier.
    32. Dauth, Wolfgang & Findeisen, Sebastian & Südekum, Jens & Wößner, Nicole, 2017. "German robots - the impact of industrial robots on workers," IAB-Discussion Paper 201730, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    33. Duncan Black & Vernon Henderson, 1999. "A Theory of Urban Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 107(2), pages 252-284, April.
    34. Jesus Dumagan & Bert Balk, 2016. "Dissecting aggregate output and labour productivity change: a postscript on the role of relative prices," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 45(1), pages 117-119, February.
    35. Andy Hines, 2019. "Getting Ready for a Post-Work Future," Foresight and STI Governance (Foresight-Russia till No. 3/2015), National Research University Higher School of Economics, vol. 13(1), pages 19-30.
    36. Andrew Foote & Michel Grosz & Ann Stevens, 2019. "Locate Your Nearest Exit: Mass Layoffs and Local Labor Market Response," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 72(1), pages 101-126, January.
    37. Janine Leschke & Andrew Watt, 2014. "Challenges in Constructing a Multi-dimensional European Job Quality Index," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 118(1), pages 1-31, August.
    38. Haapanala, Henri & Marx, Ive & Parolin, Zachary, 2022. "Robots and Unions: The Moderating Effect of Organised Labour on Technological Unemployment," IZA Discussion Papers 15080, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    39. Rosenthal, Stuart S. & Strange, William C., 2004. "Evidence on the nature and sources of agglomeration economies," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: J. V. Henderson & J. F. Thisse (ed.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 49, pages 2119-2171, Elsevier.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Caselli, Mauro & Fracasso, Andrea & Scicchitano, Sergio & Traverso, Silvio & Tundis, Enrico, 2021. "Stop worrying and love the robot: An activity-based approach to assess the impact of robotization on employment dynamics," GLO Discussion Paper Series 802, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    2. Klump, Rainer & Jurkat, Anne & Schneider, Florian, 2021. "Tracking the rise of robots: A survey of the IFR database and its applications," MPRA Paper 107909, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Zhang, Xinchun & Sun, Murong & Liu, Jianxu & Xu, Aijia, 2024. "The nexus between industrial robot and employment in China: The effects of technology substitution and technology creation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    4. Gregory, Terry & Salomons, Anna & Zierahn, Ulrich, 2016. "Racing With or Against the Machine? Evidence from Europe," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145843, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    5. Genz, Sabrina & Schnabel, Claus, 2021. "Digging into the Digital Divide: Workers' Exposure to Digitalization and Its Consequences for Individual Employment," IZA Discussion Papers 14649, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Andreas Eder & Wolfgang Koller & Bernhard Mahlberg, 2024. "The contribution of industrial robots to labor productivity growth and economic convergence: a production frontier approach," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 61(2), pages 157-181, April.
    7. Chen, Yang & Cheng, Liang & Lee, Chien-Chiang, 2022. "How does the use of industrial robots affect the ecological footprint? International evidence," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    8. Wang, Jiaxin & Zhao, Mu & Huang, Xiang & Song, Zilong & Sun, Di, 2024. "Supply chain diffusion mechanisms for AI applications: A perspective on audit pricing," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    9. Brambilla, Irene & César, Andrés & Falcone, Guillermo & Gasparini, Leonardo, 2023. "The impact of robots in Latin America: Evidence from local labor markets," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    10. Lewandowski, Piotr & Keister, Roma & Hardy, Wojciech & Górka, Szymon, 2020. "Ageing of routine jobs in Europe," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 44(4).
    11. Zuazu-Bermejo, Izaskun, 2022. "Robots and women in manufacturing employment," ifso working paper series 19, University of Duisburg-Essen, Institute for Socioeconomics (ifso).
    12. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/7n49nkmngd8448a5ts5gt5ade0 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Philippe Aghion & Céline Antonin & Simon Bunel, 2019. "Artificial Intelligence, Growth and Employment: The Role of Policy," Economie et Statistique / Economics and Statistics, Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques (INSEE), issue 510-511-5, pages 149-164.
    14. Wiljan van den Berge, 2019. "Automatic Reaction – What Happens to Workers at Firms that Automate?," CPB Discussion Paper 390, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    15. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/7n49nkmngd8448a5ts5gt5ade0 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Sergio De Nardis & Francesca Parente, 2022. "Technology and task changes in the major EU countries," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 40(2), pages 391-413, April.
    17. Gasteiger, Emanuel & Prettner, Klaus, 2022. "Automation, Stagnation, And The Implications Of A Robot Tax," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 26(1), pages 218-249, January.
    18. Cirillo, Valeria & Evangelista, Rinaldo & Guarascio, Dario & Sostero, Matteo, 2021. "Digitalization, routineness and employment: An exploration on Italian task-based data," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(7).
    19. Wiljan van den Berge, 2019. "Automatic Reaction – What Happens to Workers at Firms that Automate?," CPB Discussion Paper 390.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    20. Filippi, Emilia & Bannò, Mariasole & Trento, Sandro, 2023. "Automation technologies and their impact on employment: A review, synthesis and future research agenda," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    21. Loebbing, Jonas, 2018. "An Elementary Theory of Endogenous Technical Change and Wage Inequality," VfS Annual Conference 2018 (Freiburg, Breisgau): Digital Economy 181603, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    22. M. Battisti & M. Del Gatto & A. F. Gravina & C. F. Parmeter, 2021. "Robots versus labor skills: a complementarity/substitutability analysis," Working Paper CRENoS 202104, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:10:p:7998-:d:1146551. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.