research

Canada has seen a persistent lag in investment in machinery and equipment relative to the United States. This trend has continued through the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Forecast data from the International Federation of Robotics suggest an expected slowdown in the pace of global robotics installations as economies worldwide continue to grapple with the impacts of the pandemic. The global robotics adoption trends and the recent evidence on diminished investment in machinery and equipment in Canada in 2020 indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic will likely dampen the pace of robotics adoption in Canada, especially those used for industrial automation purposes. If slower adoption rates materialize, the short-run disruptions in the Canadian labour market linked to increased adoption of robotics technologies may be attenuated.