--- title: The robot workforce is coming - The Hustle description: Labor shortages and other factors are pushing countries to adopt automation. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/302030950-HS-News-Brief_2022-07-08T020710.607Z.webp --- # The robot workforce is coming ![Rob Litterst](https://thehustle.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Rob-Litterst-pic.png?width=48&height=48&name=Rob-Litterst-pic.png) [Rob Litterst](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/rob-litterst) [Rob Litterst Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/robbylit) Published: July 08, 2022 Updated: October 11, 2023 Dystopian movies have been fantasizing about robot uprisings for years. ![The robot workforce is coming](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/302030950-HS-News-Brief_2022-07-08T020710.607Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=302030950-HS-News-Brief_2022-07-08T020710.607Z.webp) While the global labor force is still dominated by humans, the [robot workforce is rising quickly](https://restofworld.org/2022/korea-factories-replace-humans-with-robots/), per *Rest of World*. #### **In South Korea…** … the trend is driven by: - **Minimum wage,** which is up 5% in the last year and has been rising steadily [since 2016](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_wage_in_South_Korea) - **The Serious Disasters Punishment Act,** which makes companies liable when a worker dies or is seriously injured on the job While the law was meant to improve industrial safety standards, it’s unintentionally pushed companies to accelerate their shift toward automation. #### **Elsewhere…** … the biggest reason for the robot revolution is to fill gaps in the workplace. In the [US](https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/robot-orders-labor-shortages), [Singapore](https://www.reuters.com/technology/baristas-inspectors-singapores-robot-workforce-plugs-labour-gaps-2022-05-30/), and [Japan](https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2018/06/japan-labor-force-artificial-intelligence-and-robots-schneider), robots are on the rise in response to labor shortages. While most robot jobs are behind the scenes, some Singaporean companies are using them for customer-facing jobs, including baristas. **The good news?** Even South Korea has less than one robot for every 10 human workers — so it’ll be a while before we reach a truly dystopian scenario. 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