Will the emergence of cutting-edge technology put people out of work?
Amazon Canada has opened its newest fulfillment centre in Barrhaven, Ontario, which it claimed is its most advanced robotics facility in the country. YOW3, which is the only facility of its kind in Canada and one of the only five globally, spans more than 2.6 million square feet across four floors. It’s also capable of storing up to 20 million items at a time and will see the operations of the following;
- ROBIN – A robotic arm that can segment, grasp, manipulate, identify, and place a package onto a sort bot, improving the employee experience by supporting employees with repetitive tasks.
- RWC4 – A robotic arm that sorts totes, the logistical units of an Amazon facility centre, by destination and builds pallets.
- Kemit – A trolley that focuses on towing empty totes throughout the facility and can adjust its speed and route as needed.
Read more: Robots will replace 1 in 5 jobs
The facility also has Canadian-made semi-automated pack stations, more than 12 kilometres of conveyor belts, and semi-automated tow stations.
How will this affect employment?
The introduction of robots across various industries has been an emerging concern for employees due to technology's fast-evolving nature, stoking fears that robots may soon replace people in the workplace. In 2018, Citi analyst Mark May claimed that Amazon's lower hiring of temporary workers that year was linked to the company's introduction of robots and automation within their facilities. The e-commerce giant, however, denied the claim and stated that automation replacing jobs is a "myth."
Read more: Is Amazon relying more on robots than temp staff this season?
Harsh Khaitan, Amazon Canada's regional director of operations, said that the opening of YOW3 will help improve employee experience and create 2,500 more jobs for the community.
"By using robots, we can help employees with tasks that involve heavy lifting or repetitive movements," said Khaitan. "We pilot and implement technology with the goal of increasing safety, improving our employee experience, and delivering for our customers."
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson also expressed support for the new facility.
"This new state-of-the-art fulfillment centre has created thousands of jobs in Ottawa. I'm confident that we will build on this momentum and continue to attract investment and jobs from other global companies, cementing Ottawa's reputation as an ideal logistics and distribution hub.”