2023/01/25 by Qiren Liu, Liu, Qiren, Sen Luo +3
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Health Professions · Psychology · #COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts #COVID-19 and Mental Health #Employment and Welfare Studies #FOS: Economics and business #General Economics (econ.GN)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2301.10675
openalex publication_date 2023/01/25 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
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.