Migrant workers versus robots: Impacts of robotisation on migrant workers’ employment before and after the COVID-19 pandemic

Despite their significant presence in essential occupations, migrant workers continue to face vulnerabilities arising from the intersection of precarious employment arrangements and uncertain legal status; to this, automation adds additional risks. This article examines the impact of industrial robot adoption on the employment of migrant workers in Europe, both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on data from the International Federation of Robotics, the European Union Labour Force Survey and the European Working Conditions Survey, our findings suggest that, in general, greater automation displaces migrant workers, a trend which accelerated after the pandemic. However, the study finds that the migrant workers most affected are those in positions associated with less routine tasks and on more stable, open-ended contracts, while there is no decline in demand for migrant workers in more routine and precarious positions. This article seeks to place migrant work firmly within employment relations debates on marginalisation, labour-market segmentation, management practices, and strategies of unions in the context of technological change.