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Parliamentary question - E-002685/2018Parliamentary question
E-002685/2018

The impact of automation on employment

Question for written answer E-002685-18
to the Commission
Rule 130
Agnieszka Kozłowska-Rajewicz (PPE)

The automation of activities can enable productivity growth within the entire economy, especially as the active proportion of the working-age population is declining in many countries. It is estimated that about half of all the activities people are paid to do in the global workforce could potentially be automated. The activities most susceptible to automation are physical ones, especially in manufacturing and retail, as well as in data protection and processing. According to recent studies, the shift towards automation does not necessary result in long-term mass unemployment — an aspect brought up in many debates — since the world’s economy will need human labour in addition to robots to overcome demographic ageing trends in both developed and developing countries. The aspects which will definitely change are the nature of work, the organisation of companies and business models.

What measures will the EU take, if needed, to protect employees from unemployment due to automation?

Who will be liable in case of mistakes made by robots in the workplace?

If, as is very probable, manufacturing is transferred back to Europe from developing countries, what extra measures will be taken to lift developing countries out of poverty?

Last updated: 31 May 2018
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