Robots Impact on the Labor Market – Robots versus Humans and COVID-19

Health, education, transport, government, real estate and other sectors are in the early stages of digital transformation and, as they transform, productivity continues to grow in Romania, but at a low rate compared to other EU member states. However, while these advantages and related benefits are important to the digitalization process, perhaps the most important benefit of Industry 4.0 is its impact on the economy, especially on productivity and overall economic output. The paper is an exploratory desk research based on surveys and specialized studies to build an image of the present and the future, against the background of disruptive technologies, digital transformation, robotics, automation in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemics. Nowadays, there is a completely issue of paradigm shift, robots will replace the human workforce, eliminating low-skilled jobs, workers being obliged to reorient their careers and retrain for the maintenance and monitoring of the robots, leaving them time to be creative for the growth productivity of the company, thus eliminating clerical work. Those who are highly qualified will benefit from high incomes and thus it will be created some inequalities, big revenues discrepancies between individuals, which will lead to an increase of tensions. The adapted statistics reveal a possible image of the labor market in the next years, in the pandemic context but also the negative and at the same time progressive impact on the economy and the society.