Increasing Labor Productivity Research Articles

Демографический спад и экономический рост: анализ причин и успешных решений в мировой практике

The article examines the impact of the demographic recession on economic growth, with an emphasis on the experience of foreign countries. In the face of an aging population and a shrinking workforce, many states are grappling with the challenges of sustaining stable economic development. The author analyzes examples from various global economies, exploring strategies employed to mitigate demographic changes, including stimulating innovation, increasing labor productivity, utilization of migration policy resources, and human capital development. Particular attention is paid to developed economies, where demographic issues most acutely affect long-term economic prospects. The author concludes that successful solutions to demographic challenges can be achieved through the implementation of a comprehensive approach and active collaboration among government entities, businesses, and society at large.

Increasing labour productivity by providing innovative activities in when repair and service sector in livestock industry

At present, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus are significantly behind the developed countries in terms of labor productivity and the share of domestic companies implementing technological innovations in the main sectors of the economy (especially in agriculture). One of the significant factors of this lag is the underestimation in past years of the promising potential of various innovative technologies and, as a consequence the very limited and slow implementation of breakthrough innovations in the most signifi cant sectors of the domestic economy. The decisive turn of the state economic policy of neighboring states in the area of deep technological transformation of all sectors of the economy is aimed at an innovative breakthrough and reaching advanced growth rates in the technological and economic development of fraternal countries. However, along with the introduction of the latest technologies the creation of completely new modern high-tech industries, which will require colossal fi nancial investments, the task of comprehensively and thoroughly exploring internal production reserves, searching for new forms and methods of improving the effi ciency of labour organization at existing enterprises, which will also bring a noticeable economic effect, remains relevant. This article describes in sufficient detail practical activities to improve and streamline accounting, planning, certifi cation, rationalization of workplaces of animal husbandry technical service organizations under the current conditions of the developing market. The results of the studies show that certifi cation and rationalization of workplaces are eff ective tools in fi nding internal production reserves to improve the use of labour resources, fi xed production assets, promotes the replacement of obsolete equipment, improves the relationship between workplaces, improves working conditions, and optimally balances the need for labour with the number of existing workplaces. This will significantly increase the overall efficiency of activities and competitiveness of service enterprises in the fi eld of animal husbandry.

Digitalization of Mining Enterprise: A Key Factor in Ensuring Economic Security

The level of competitiveness of mining companies is primarily determined by productivity and operational excellence. Digitalization is becoming a key factor that enables companies in this industry to remain competitive in the future. In the mining industry, the transition to new and better ways of working has been slow due to the scale and complexity of production processes, as well as the significant costs of modernization. As a result, some enterprises are not actively implementing digital technologies. However, leading global and Kyrgyz mining companies are actively investing in the development of modern technologies in the field of energy and automation in order to increase production volumes, improve environmental efficiency, reduce the use of manual labor, costs and energy consumption. It is obvious that digital technologies open new opportunities for a significant increase in labor productivity and profit growth. The article discusses the main directions of digital transformation of mining enterprises, reveals the key advantages and potential threats. The author analyses both foreign and Kyrgyz examples of effective digitalization in this industry.

Формирование корпоративной культуры бережливого производства в современных условиях

The current stage of development of the national economy is associated with the formation of technological sovereignty of the country. Harsh sanctions, existing restrictions on access to certain market segments, digitalization and other challenges form an explicit request to Russian business to transform approaches to the organization of production, aimed primarily at increasing labor productivity, which is possible due to several main factors: the development of the production and technical base, maximizing the use of people-human capital and optimization of organizational factors. The first factor is quite costly and time-consuming in terms of implementation. The development of human and organizational factors can be carried out through lean production tools, the main problem of which is the significant resistance of personnel to new introductions. The work of foreign and domestic scientists and practitioners in the field of lean manufacturing and corporate culture has been studied, which allowed to formulate the author's definition of “corporate culture of lean production”, which allowed to develop a model of corporate culture of lean production at three levels of management (TOP, Middle, Down Management). The proposed model of transformation of the existing corporate culture into a corporate culture of lean production is considered in three planes with the designation of the stages of formation of a new corporate culture. It is noted that only voluntary adherence to a new ideology can maximize the effectiveness of innovations.

The Impact of Industrial Robots on Green Total Factor Energy Efficiency: Empirical Evidence from Chinese Cities

Improving energy utilization efficiency is a crucial means to achieve energy conservation, emission reduction, and green development. At present, to establish a high-quality development framework and satisfy the growing need for a better life among all its people, China must steadfastly pursue the path of green development. Although China’s substantial economic scale and achievements in ecological civilization construction provide favorable conditions for green transformation, there remains a significant gap compared to developed countries in the application of green and clean technologies. Confronted with technological bottlenecks, leveraging emerging technologies such as industrial robots from the new round of scientific and technological revolutions to improve the green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE) is of critical importance to China’s green development. This study explores the potential impact of industrial robots on enhancing China’s GTFEE. It begins by reviewing the current research landscape in this field, highlighting its shortcomings, and theorizing potential impact pathways of industrial robots. Subsequently, the paper analyzes data from 2010 to 2019 on the usage of industrial robots and GTFEE across 276 cities at the prefectural level or above in China. Through empirical regression models that incorporate control variables and interaction terms, the study investigates the specific impacts of industrial robots on energy efficiency and their mechanisms of action. The results indicate that industrial robots significantly enhance the GTFEE of Chinese cities, especially in the Northeastern region. Industrial robots notably improve the GTFEE in resource-based cities, old industrial bases, and low-carbon pilot cities. Additionally, robots indirectly boost GTFEE by increasing labor productivity. Enhanced levels of green innovation and environmental regulations also positively moderate the effectiveness of industrial robots in improving energy efficiency. The findings of this research can assist local government agencies in coordinating and implementing policies that are conducive to green development, making better use of industrial robots to serve the people, and are of significant importance for promoting the transformation of China’s economy and society towards high-quality development.

МҰНАЙ ЖӘНЕ ГАЗ КЕНОРЫНДАРЫНЫҢ ӨНІМДЕРІН ӨНДІРУДЕ ҚАЗІРГІ ЗАМАНҒЫ ЦИФРЛЫ ЖӘНЕ ЗИЯТКЕРЛІ ТЕХНОЛОГИЯЛАРДЫ ҚОЛДАНУ АСПЕКТІЛЕРІ

Most oil fields cover thousands of square kilometers, and some have reserves in difficult local conditions (heat, permafrost, desert, deep water) or difficult to recover. Due to these factors and a number of other problems related to technological safety, there are difficulties in the development of oil fields (with a steady increase in demand for oil and gas). Therefore, oil companies still need a highly reliable digital infrastructure that provides high productivity and security and manages many of the devices used in the oil and gas business throughout the field. Therefore, in recent years, oil companies around the world are increasingly managing their oil fields using "smart" technologies. They have proven to be a powerful tool for ensuring the safety of oil fields and increasing labor productivity, as well as economic efficiency. The technologies used include the improvement of all stages of the work process through the rapid acquisition of production data associated with advanced analytics, which contributes to a more complete and efficient development of the oil field. With experience in the implementation of "intelligent" technologies, it already shows high efficiency and very reliable results (both in terms of the oil production process itself and in terms of reducing the cost of individual operations). The use of modern digital and intelligent technologies in the production process in the oil and gas sector plays an important role in order to increase efficiency, ensure safety and reduce environmental impact. Application of digital technologies-data collection and analysis: IoT sensors (Internet of Things) allow you to collect data from deposits in real time and send it to analytical platforms. Field modeling: Using digital Twin technology, virtual field models are created that allow you to predict and optimize production processes. Automation: The automated systems and robotics used help to increase productivity in the management of the oil and gas production process.

Некоторые основные проблемы экономического развития современной России

The work provides assessments of trends and factors of economic growth in modern Russia. The research was carried out on the basis of constructing econometric models using Rosstat data. Research results show that the main trends in economic development consisted of a decrease in the rate of economic growth and the rate of growth in labor productivity. The main factor of economic growth was the growth of labor productivity. There were no significant trends in changes in the growth rate of employment and the growth rate of accumulated fixed capital. The growth in labor productivity was achieved, to a large extent, due to an increase in the capital intensity of production. The basis for economic development was largely an ineffective archaic mechanism, the mechanism for the formation of an industrial economy. Employment growth had a negative impact on economic growth rates. The results obtained indicate that the most important factors of competitiveness and economic growth - human capital and new technologies - are insufficiently and ineffectively used. They did not ensure an increase in labor productivity due to investing in outdated technologies, attracting workers who do not have high qualifications, which is due to a decline in the quality of education and a reduction in the scale of scientific research and development. Education has largely lost its function of forming human capital. The research and development system does not sufficiently serve as a source of new technologies. The identified problems are obviously due to shortcomings in economic policy, shortcomings in financial management and investment processes, insufficient funding and ineffective management of the education system, research and development.

Utilizing Investment in Fixed Assets and R&D as a Catalyst for Boosting Productivity to Stimulate Economic Growth

Investments form the basis for high-quality economic growth by ensuring renewal of production capacities and improvement of technologies and processes, thereby increasing labor productivity. Investment research is key to understanding its impact on the country’s economic advancement and more effective government policymaking to stimulate investment activity. The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between fixed capital and R&D investments and labor productivity growth, as well as to determine the optimal level of these investments in determining the greatest effect on labor productivity growth. We use a regression model and the least squares method to empirically analyze data for seven countries for the period between 1997 and 2022. We calculate estimated values using SPSS and Python. The results show a certain impact of fixed assets and R&D investments on labor productivity growth. However, the payoff varies across the countries under study. Furthermore, despite its relatively small volumes, investment in R&D brings a greater effect on productivity growth than investment in fixed capital. With other factors remaining constant, the calculated optimums for investments in fixed assets and R&D show maximum points of growth in labor productivity.

THE CURRENT STATE OF AGRICULTURAL LAND USE IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

This article discusses the rational use of agricultural land, taking into account structural and resource indicators for sustainable development. The effectiveness of land use in farms with different forms of land ownership depends on increasing labor productivity, strengthening the economy regime, increasing the intensification of production, using internal reserves and opportunities for agricultural production and, especially, rational use of land. The basis for the formation of sustainable land use should be strict observance of the established relationships between disturbed and undisturbed territories. Undisturbed territories should be considered as a stabilizing factor neutralizing anthropogenic impacts on the landscape. In this regard, the tasks of preserving productive agricultural land, optimizing arable land and acreage in terms of quantitative and qualitative characteristics of land are becoming a priority. The solution of these tasks is connected with the improvement of technologies for maintaining and increasing the bioproductivity of agricultural lands, the development of technologies for rational land management, land use and land protection, the creation of effective organizational and legal mechanisms for managing agricultural lands, as well as the development of state monitoring of agricultural lands. In order to approach the practice of determining the efficiency of land use, it is necessary to focus in more detail on its factors according to the selected functional subsystems and types of efficiency.

Infrastructural modernization of the agro-industrial complex as the most important vector of accelerated development of rural areas

The article is devoted to the issues of socio-economic development of rural areas - one of the key performance indicators of the agro-industrial complex of Kazakhstan. The aim is to study the economic potential of rural areas, to determine the prospective directions of production and social transformation of Ushterek village of Yevgenyevsky rural district of Pavlodar region. Methods - target, hypothesis setting, strategic planning and forecasting were used to identify problem situations, setting goals and solving problems. Justification and argumentation of reasoning in the work are obtained on the basis of analytical information, including comparison, evaluation, generalization and systematization of statistical data. Results - the authors analyzed the degree of provision with social infrastructure of this region. The influence of various factors on the expansion of this sphere is investigated. The range of problems that hinder the effective activity of this sector is outlined. It is noted that the realization of the economic potential of rural areas will allow solving a number of issues of modernization of infrastructure facilities. Conclusions - the regional system of social resources should take into account the main interests of the state, aimed at improving the quality of life and welfare of the population. These are, first of all, solving the housing problem and meeting the growing needs of residents in quality housing, improving environmental conditions, strengthening the professional training of workers as a basis for increasing labor productivity and the volume of goods and services, creating guarantees of social security of rural residents. The state authorities should be interested in the development of social programs for rural areas, since the earliest solution of the set tasks is the key criterion for the retention of rural residents in rural areas, which is most important for the republic in the context of increasing rates of urbanization.

Функционирование умного сельского хозяйства в АПК городской агломерации

The article describes the possibilities and feasibility of using digital technologies in agriculture; population growth trends in the world and the need to use smart technologies to ensure increased labor productivity in the industry. The article identifies barriers to the implementation of digitalization in agriculture: lack of accessible infrastructure (broadband and incomplete Internet coverage in the re-gions); partial use of digital technology capabilities; lack of financial resources for the implementation of technologies; distrust of digital technologies; the presence of a large number of reporting forms in the industry; lack of information on digital technologies and the results of their use; low qualification of personnel in the field of digital technologies. The article reflects digital technologies for the formation of smart agriculture in the agro-industrial complex in modern conditions. The produc-tion and financial indicators of the Krasnodarskoye educational farm of the Kuban State Agrarian University over the past 5 years are analyzed as successfully demonstrating the experience of functioning of smart agriculture in the agro-industrial complex of the Krasnodar urban agglomeration.

Forecasting staffing needs in general education: HR-practices and staffing planning model for metropolitan schools

Introduction. The development of human capital is crucial for preparing an effective response of the Russian society to the great challenges related to ensuring sustainable economic growth, development and implementation of new promising technologies, increasing labour productivity, and improving the quality of life of citizens. The key role here is played by the state of the education sector, on which the population's mastering of competences, knowledge and skills demanded by the economy and the labour market directly depends. Ensuring the training of highly qualified specialists considering the changing staffing needs of society and trends in the development of the digital economy refers to the urgent problem of management and forecasting of staffing in the Russian education system. Materials and Methods. The methodological basis of the study was formed by reports of international organizations, national agencies in the field of education, reports of working groups, as well as domestic and foreign studies in the field of forecasting the staffing status; official web pages of federal and regional executive authorities that carry out management and control in the field of education; websites of educational organizations of general and higher education; information from open data sources. Qualitative analysis of data using general scientific methods of cognition was carried out on the obtained set of data. Results. The analysed solutions have limitations that make it difficult to directly transfer them to the staff forecasting model for Moscow schools. They do not consider the peculiarities of Moscow education, for example, the directions of the Moscow education development strategy, specifics of the nomenclature of positions and certification of managerial staff, city projects of pre-professional education, optimization of administrative staff, etc. When creating a staff forecasting service for Moscow schools, it is necessary to consider the advantages of platform solutions that provide an integrated interdisciplinary approach using large amounts of data. At the same time, the forecast should consider the peculiarities of the Moscow education system that can affect the staff composition of schools. Discussion and Conclusions. Based on the analysis, a model solution for forecasting the staffing status of educational organizations in the metropolitan education system has been developed, including methodological approaches to evaluation; directions for assessing the dynamics of changes in the staffing status of schools; the structure of the staffing composition of Moscow schools; the structure of primary data; and a set of indicators.

Some aspects of formation labor behavior during the period of martial status

Problem setting. Modern political, economic, and social demands of society pose tasks to the state that require urgent solutions and are of urgent importance for all spheres of life. Therefore, a significant number of studies are focused on solving theoretical and practical issues of legal regulation of social relations during the war and in the conditions of martial law on the territory of Ukraine. Solving issues of the possibility and specifics of citizens’ realization of the right to work are of great importance. Since, during the period of martial law, the norms of labor legislation are not applied in the part of relations regulated by the Law of Ukraine “On the Organization of Labor Relations in the Conditions of Martial Law” (hereinafter the Law). According to the Final Provisions, it is valid for the period of martial law in Ukraine, introduced in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On the Legal Regime of Martial Law”, and becomes invalid from the moment of termination and cancellation of martial law. During the period of martial law, its norms have an overriding force over the norms of the Code of Labor Laws of Ukraine. The provisions of this Law significantly narrow the rights of workers compared to peacetime. Therefore, the relevance of the toolkit of labor law as a regulator of social relations in the field of labor relations and ways of realizing the right to work by citizens under martial law is increasing. Analysis of recent researches and publications. Analysis of recent research and publications. Such scientists as: T. Gerasimov, T. Glynska, V. Lytvynenko, O. Lukyanchikov, D. Novikov, A. Shvets and others were engaged in the study of the theoretical and practical essence of the chosen topic. In addition, the following scientists paid attention to the legal regulation of labor relations under martial law in Ukraine in their works: V. Andriiv, M. Lukashevich, M. Doronina, N. Yesinov, L. Nikolayeva, D. Shvets, and others. Purpose of research is to investigate labor behavior, which is a complex of individual and group actions and deeds that determine the direction and intensity of a person’s performance of their labor function and factors that negatively affect labor behavior. And also consider the legislation of Ukraine, which concerns the regulation of labor relations during the period of martial law and analyze the changes that took place in the field of labor relations after the declaration of martial law in the state and how they affected the labor behavior of the employee. Article’s main body. A special role in solving this issue is played by the principles, methods and ways of motivating work, which act as a leading organizational and economic tool for managing the work behavior of employees. In this regard, solving both theoretical and practical problems of labor behavior management through the use of new socioeconomic methods of labor motivation, which would make it possible to increase the interest of workers to work productively and effectively in various spheres of the economy, becomes important. Modern labor relations increasingly single out the employee’s behavior as an important characteristic of his labor potential, the quality of which depends on the effectiveness of the team’s work and the survival of the enterprise, institution or organization in an unpredictable economic environment. Therefore, the study of labor behavior as a form of employee activity and the determination of the main factors influencing it is quite relevant in this period of time. Conclusions and prospects for the development. Formation of labor behavior of employees is an actual and complex process that requires a systematic approach. According to the results of the research, it was established that the essence of labor motivation is to develop such a system of incentives that would satisfy all the needs of the employee in the best way and would interest him in achieving better results of his activity. This will help increase labor productivity, increase the income and profits of enterprises, as a result of which the material situation of employees will improve, which is the key to successful motivation to work.

In Good Times and in Bad, in Sickness and in Health: The Continuous Rise in Adoption of Labour-Saving Agricultural Technologies in Myanmar

Agriculture is rapidly transforming in many low- and middle-income countries – most often driven by the adoption of new agricultural technologies – but changes remain poorly understood in fragile and conflict-affected states. We look at the case of Myanmar, a prime example of such a state. After decades of isolationism and economic stagnation, it opened its economy in the beginning of the 2010s, leading to rapid economic growth. But the COVID-19 health crisis and a military coup in the beginning of 2021 – leading to heightened conflicts, forced displacements, and increased migration – dramatically reversed that outlook. Based on large-scale farm surveys, we find that adoption of labour-saving agricultural technologies – measured by the use of mechanization, herbicides, and direct seeding of rice – increased rapidly over the economic growth period and that the increase surprisingly persisted during the crisis years, but at a slower rate. This uptake was lower, however, for households in the most conflict-affected areas, partly due to differential agricultural input availability. Smallholders and more remote farmers also participated less. This finding suggests an increasing labour productivity gap for remote and conflict-affected smallholders, with important implications for their welfare.

Workforce Configuration in Charity Settings: A Forward-Looking Approach

Problem definition: Volunteers, the primary workforce for many charities, represent a complex labor pool; they are unreliable and exhibit substantial heterogeneity in both performance and affinity to the organization. Additionally, many volunteers engage not only to contribute but also to immerse themselves in a volunteering experience that, if rewarding, can inspire them to become future donors. However, practical approaches to volunteer management commonly neglect these traits and the consequential impact that tactical decision-making can have on nurturing potential future donations. Methodology/results: Building on a previous study, we propose a forward-looking volunteer scheduling model that accounts for the heterogeneity among volunteers, mitigates both understaffing and overstaffing costs, and explicitly correlates individual time contribution with their monetary donations. We provide analytical solutions when the charity can reliably estimate distributions (e.g., uniform distribution) from data and suggest a distribution-free method to offer actionable insights where data are limited or uncertain. Managerial implications: At the strategic level, by viewing volunteers as potential donors, the optimal staffing strategy balances meeting the charity’s labor needs and maximizing volunteers’ satisfaction, as this satisfaction influences their likelihood of becoming future donors. We show that charities could avert substantial losses by adopting an integrative approach, thereby challenging conventional organizational structures that compartmentalize volunteer and donor management. Our model suggests that building robust data infrastructures can significantly advance the charity’s core mission. Paradoxically, efforts to increase labor productivity may inadvertently undermine this objective. At the operational level, we provide an Excel-based decision support tool and a decision-tree framework to navigate optimal policies, determining when and how a charity can rely on episodic (less reliable) volunteers. Our results confirm that reducing uncertainty in volunteer turnout benefits charities. However, we also find that when labor value is low, episodic volunteers are preferred, whereas formal (reliable) volunteers are favored when labor value is high. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2022.0363 .

Sustainable paddy farming in rural Japan: Leveraging farmer integration and agricultural UAVs for synergistic solutions

For sustainable rice farming, IoT-based smart agricultural technologies are attracting worldwide attention. In particular, agricultural UAVs, which are expected to be utilized in various seasonal processes of rice farming, are a facility that is expected to spread in the future. In Japan, however, the smooth spread of UAVs has not progressed because of uncertainty about the effectiveness of their introduction. In this study, we clarify the effect of the introduction and its limitations by simulating the synergy effect between customary management improvement methods by farmers' integration and the efficiency improvement of agricultural work using UAVs, using a mountainous area in Japan as an example. The visualization of the expected increase in labor productivity provides a strong basis for future policies to promote smart agricultural technologies. The simulation model was built on the theoretical basis of the optimal route search based on the traveling salesman problem, in which the farmer's behavior of visiting farmland is considered a traveling salesman problem, and the effect of introducing UAVs was predicted using annual working hours as an evaluation index. The results showed that the introduction of UAVs could achieve a greater reduction in labor hours than the case where farmer integration alone was used to improve labor productivity without the introduction of UAVs. In other words, the combination of farmer integration and UAVs is expected to synergize. However, even when assuming reasonable UAVs performance, labor productivity improved by about 20%, and even when using high-performance UAVs assuming drastic technological innovation, labor productivity improved by only about 30%. Furthermore, as the number of farmlands to be managed increased, the effect of UAVs was expected to reach a ceiling. In other words, the results suggest an appropriate size of farmland to manage by introducing UAVs. This result is expected to be convincing material to promote the introduction of UAVs to farmers in the future and to make a practical contribution to their management plans.

THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT IN THE ASPECT OF RISK MANAGEMENT

The purpose of the article is to study the theoretical and methodological aspects of personnel management risks and the specifics of developing their management strategies in the context of modern dynamic business conditions. The work highlights the key aspects of personnel risks, methods of their analysis, methods of management and regulation, and gives practical recommendations for managers and managers. Method. To achieve the goal, the methods of analysis and synthesis, comparison, etc. are applied. The results. The theoretical aspects of risk management with human capital are studied. Analyzed and systematized methods aimed at reducing the impact of personnel risks on the productivity and stability of the enterprise. The result of the application of such strategies is an increase in the efficiency of personnel management, a reduction in the probability of problems, and the optimization of work processes. Scientific novelty. The article offers a comprehensive view of risk management in the context of personnel management. The use of modern methods of risk analysis and management allows in-depth solving of problems arising in personnel management and the development of effective strategies for their elimination, taking into account today's conditions. Practical significance. The results of the research can be useful for leaders and managers in the field of personnel management, contributing to the stability and efficiency of the organization. The considered strategies and methods can help to implement practical management solutions with the aim of reducing personnel risks and increasing labor productivity.

Intangible Capital as a Driver of Labor Productivity in Regions and Industries: Evidence of the Spanish Case

ABSTRACTIn the last decade, many studies discussed the impact of intangible investment on firms' performance. However, comparing the effect of different types of intangible investments at regional and sectoral level is not well explored. The paper aims to fill this gap by assessing the impact of several intangible capital on labor productivity using for the first‐time updated data for the period 2000–2019. Adopting panel data techniques and system GMM, the results show that regions with higher endowments of intangible capital get higher levels of labor productivity. The study results also highlight the importance of differentiating between different sectors and types of intangible capital as they have different impact on productivity labor. In the primary sector only investments in R&D result in additional productivity gains. In the manufacturing industry, investments in R&D and software result in additional productivity gains while the service sector also increases labor productivity through other intangibles assets with innovative property such as mineral exploration, entertainment, and artistic originals.

Technological employment: Evidence from worldwide robot adoption

Technological advances can automate many jobs, therby reducing the reliance on some workers, yet they can also create jobs. Determining the overall impact is not immediately evident and necessitaes empirical research. In this paper, we use data on worldwide robot adoption from 1993 to 2021 to explore whether robots increase labour productivity and employment in the 74 sampled economies. We find that robots lead to higher productivity and employment on a global scale. To gain more insights into the results, we also examine the effects both in the long run and the short run using labour market data from developed countries. Using error correction model, the findings show that robot adoption increases employment in the long run but has no effect on overall employment in the short run. This study argues that in spite of perpetual automation spanning many generations, there are still many occupational opportunities, a fact that is not likely to change with the increased robot use. In fact, robot adoption leads to more jobs in developed economies which by and large adopt robots to a greater degree, leading to ‘technological employment’. While economies of the developing countries which adopt robots to a lower degree, do not seem to experience a similar outcome.

The impact of industrial robots on low-carbon green performance: Evidence from the belt and road initiative countries

Global warming is intensifying, with Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries accounting for over two-thirds of global carbon dioxide emissions. As a pivotal technology in advanced manufacturing, industrial robots significantly impact the overall carbon footprint through their role in production processes. This study examines how the use of industrial robots influences the Low-Carbon Green Performance (LCGP) across BRI nations, utilizing a dataset spanning from 2004 to 2020. The findings reveal that the integration of industrial robots notably boosts the LCGP within these countries, a conclusion supported by extensive robustness evaluations. The novelty of this study lies in uncovering the underlying mechanism by which industrial robots improve LCGP through the promotion of technological innovation. Specifically, we find that industrial robots have a pronounced effect on technological progress (TC), an impact that is further amplified by increases in labor productivity and human capital levels. This discovery provides policy implications for BRI governments, suggesting that actively promoting the development of industrial robots can accelerate energy transformation and upgrading, thereby reducing carbon emissions. Our research fills a significant void concerning the environmental impact of industrial robots and offers new perspectives and strategies for BRI countries to achieve low-carbon development goals. These findings contribute significant theoretical and practical value to global environmental protection and sustainable development.