Amazon advances automation with over 750,000 robots, replacing 100,000 jobs

Amazon.com Inc., the world's second-largest private employer, has significantly increased its use of robotics, deploying more than 750,000 robots alongside its human workforce, reports Yahoo Finance. 

The company, which employs 1.5 million people, has seen a reduction of over 100,000 employees from its 2021 peak of 1.6 million. This shift coincides with a rapid expansion of its robotic fleet, which grew from 200,000 robots in 2019 to 520,000 in 2022.

Amazon's robots, including new models like Sequoia and Digit, are designed to perform repetitive tasks, enhancing efficiency, safety, and delivery speed. 

Sequoia speeds up inventory management and order processing, while Digit, a bipedal robot developed with Agility Robotics, handles tasks like moving empty tote boxes.

Despite the automation scale, Amazon claims that robots have led to the creation of new skilled job categories, aligning with a broader industry trend of integrating advanced technologies with human workforces.

While the company insists robots are meant to assist human employees, enhancing efficiency and safety, there are concerns about job displacement and workforce implications. 

Research from institutions like MIT indicates that industrial robots can negatively impact jobs and wages in deployed areas.

The introduction of a large number of robots into Amazon's workforce has prompted discussions about job displacement and the future of human labour. However, Amazon has highlighted the creation of 700 new categories of skilled jobs, suggesting that automation can also generate new employment opportunities. 

The shift may reflect a broader economic trend where human employees take on more complex, non-repetitive tasks requiring higher skill levels and creativity.