In a world of robots, carmakers are hiring more humans
Car-industry employees concerned that robots will put them out of work needn’t worry — at least for now.
Of the 13 publicly traded automakers with at least 100,000 workers at the end of their mostrecent fiscal year, 11 had more staff compared with year-end 2013, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Combined, they had 3.1 million employees, or 11 per cent more than four years earlier, the data show.
Carmakers in China and other emerging markets, where growth is strongest, favour human labour because it requires less upfront investment, said Steve Man, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence in Hong Kong. In developed markets, tasks that can be handled by robots have already been automated years ago and automakers are now boosting hiring in research and development as the industry evolves.
“There’s been a lot of growth in emerging markets, especially China, so that’s one reason automakers are adding staff,” Man said. “More staff is being added on the R&D side, with the push for autonomous, electric, connected vehicles.”
A trio of Chinese automakers, SAIC Motors, Dongfeng Motor and BYD — in which Warren Buffett is a major investor — increased staff by at least 24 per cent. Volkswagen accounted for more than one in five jobs among the group of 13, and increased its employee count by 12 per cent in the period.
General Motors , which shrank its payroll 18 per cent to 180,000, and Nissan Motor, which contracted by 2.8 per cent to 139,000 workers, were the sole carmakers whose staffs got smaller, the data show. GM’s numbers were affected by the sale of its European division to PSA Group last year. About 40 per cent of autoworkers were women in 2017, compared with 38 per cent four years earlier.