Industrial robots,human capital,and employment:Taking the textile industry as an example
China has entered a new era of economic growth driven by technological progress and advancements.The coordinated development of industrial robots and human employment have become an important component of high-quality industrial development.The application of industrial robots in the textile industry has improved efficiency,flexibility,continuity of production,and transformational upgrades throughout the industry.This has,however,also been accompanied by a decline employment number.From 2007 to 2019,the number of workers employed by industrial enterprises in China's textile industry decreased from 10.857 5 million to 6.934 9 million.In this context,studying the employment effects of the application of industrial robots in the textile industry,exploring how to create high-quality employment through digital and smart technology transformation,and achieving broad integration of industrial robots in production,interaction,and collaboration with the labor force,are necessary for the modernization of the textile industry as a whole.This paper seeks to provide new ideas and reference for the formulation of relevant labor-intensive industrial policies in the context of industrial robot integration and modernization.Firstly,the industrial robot data of the textile industry from the International Federation of Robotics and the employment data of the textile,garment,and chemical fiber manufacturing industries from China's Industry Manufacturing Classification System were used to synthesize provincial panel data ranging from 2007 to 2019.Secondly,the fixed effect model was used to empirically analyze the impact and integration mechanisms of industrial robots on the quantity and quality of employment in the textile industry.Finally,a robustness test was conducted by substituting explanatory variables and instrumental variable methods.Heterogeneity testing was also conducted from four dimensions:the opportunity of textile industry transfer and the rate of evolution of the development level,the gender structure of workers,the skill structure of workers,and the stages of application for industrial robots.This study saught to verify the moderating effect of human capital on the impact of industrial robot application where quantity and quality of employment are concerned.Heterogeneity testing based on the spatiotemporal characteristics of the textile industry and the characteristics of workers was also conducted.The results show that the application of industrial robots in the textile industry has a significantly negative impact on employment numbers and promotes the improvement of employment quality.The advancement of human capital weakens the quantity substitution effect and quality improvement effect of industrial robots.There is spatial,gender,skill,and temporal heterogeneity in the impact of industrial robot application on employment.In terms of space,industrial robots have an employment substitution effect in provinces with stable development and improved development of the textile industry in addition to employment creation effects in provinces with reduced development.Industrial robots have a more prominent role in improving the employment quality of the textile industry in provinces with stable development,but have no significant impact on the employment quality in other provinces.In terms of gender,the substitution effect of industrial robots on males is greater than on females.In terms of skills,the application of industrial robots replaces low-skilled workers,while increasing the number of R&D personnel.In terms of time,the substitution effect of industrial robot integration on the number of employees before 2013 and the improvement effect on the quality of employment after 2013 are more significant.This paper explores the impact,mechanism,and heterogeneity of industrial robot application in the textile industry on the quantity and quality of employment.It expands the theoretical research on the impact of digital and smart technology transformation on employment in labor-intensive industries.It provides important reference value for coordinating the relationships between industrial robots and human beings for the deep integration of artificial intelligence technologies such as industrial robots in textile industry,and promoting high-quality employment and enriching the people in the industry.
industrial robotsemployment quantityemployment qualityhuman capitalheterogeneitytextile industry
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