One in 20 Chinese workers could be replaced by robots in the next five years, according to survey

  • Up to 40 per cent of China’s manufacturing workforce could be “potentially affected” by the use of robots
  • The rise of automation had a disproportionate impact on workers with lower levels of education

Sarah Daiin Beijing
A worker assembles air conditioner's components next to the robot arms at a factory in Suixi county in central China's Anhui province in 2018. Photo: AP

By 2025, machinery and robotics are set to replace nearly 5 per cent of China’s workforce, leading to the disappearance of certain jobs and more pressure on the job market, according to an industry report released this week.

In a survey of nearly 2,000 companies in China, the Wuhan University Institute of Quality Development Strategy found that the proportion of workers employed in companies that made use of robotics rose from 12 per cent in 2008 to 37 per cent in 2017.

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