Impact of Technological Advances on Workers’ Health: Taking Robotics as an Example

Abstract

Workers’ health is one of the key factors for sustainable economic development. In the new era of industrialization marked by the rise of automation, the impact of widespread robot use on workers’ health is a growing concern. We organize the robotics data released by the International Federation of Robotics to the prefecture and city level and further match them with the 2010–2015 China Comprehensive Social Survey database in the city–year dimension. Subsequently, we used fixed-order regression analysis with maximum likelihood estimation to explore the impact of robotics development on workers’ health indicators. Our findings reveal that the use of industrial robots generally improves workers’ health and releases the “health dividend” of workers, with each unit increase in urban robot penetration increasing the probability of worker health in that area by 4%. A mechanism analysis shows that robots enhance workers’ health primarily by reducing labor intensity. Further heterogeneity analysis indicates that the health benefits of industrial robots are more pronounced for low-skilled workers, female workers, and agricultural laborers. Our research offers valuable insights into protecting workers’ rights and well-being in the age of automation.