Pain or Anxiety? The Health Consequences of Rising Robot Adoption in China

TL;DR

This study examines how increased robot adoption in China's manufacturing sector impacts workers' physical health positively while also elevating mental stress, especially among older and less educated workers.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence on the dual health effects of robot exposure, highlighting both physical benefits and mental health challenges for workers.

Findings

Robot exposure improves physical health, especially for younger, less educated workers.

Robot exposure increases mental stress among older, less educated workers.

The effects vary by age and education level.

Abstract

The rising adoption of industrial robots is radically changing the role of workers in the production process. Robots can be used for some of the more physically demanding and dangerous production work, thus reducing the possibility of worker injury. On the other hand, robots may replace workers, potentially increasing worker anxiety about their job safety. In this paper, we investigate how individual physical health and mental health outcomes vary with local exposure to robots for manufacturing workers in China. We find a link between robot exposure and better physical health of workers, particularly for younger workers and those with less education. However, we also find that robot exposure is associated with more mental stress for Chinese workers, particularly older and less educated workers.