工业机器人应用与企业劳动力成本粘性

Application of Industrial Robots and Enterprise Labor Cost Stickiness

工业机器人应用被视为推动工业智能化升级和经济高质量发展的重要举措。本文通过构建“巴蒂克工具变量”计算相对外生的企业机器人渗透率,考察了2011~2019年制造业上市公司工业机器人应用对劳动力成本粘性的影响。研究发现:机器人应用显著降低了劳动力成本粘性,且影响在劳动力供给充足、劳动力保护较弱的地区,及低学历员工占比较高、劳动密集型、具有良好发展需求的企业更显著。降低用工粘性与员工薪酬粘性是其作用机制,且主要表现为对于低学历、低技能员工的影响。机器人应用与数字化转型具有协同作用,且主要以技术溢出的形式通过产业链对上下游企业劳动力成本粘性产生影响,中间品市场等非技术溢出渠道的影响并不显著。机器人对劳动力成本粘性的抑制效应有助于改善经营绩效、降低经营风险、提高生产效率。本文的研究结论有助于为智能制造政策推广和企业成本管理决策提供实践启示。

The application of industrial robots is regarded as an important initiative to promote the intelligent upgrading of industry and the high-quality development of economy.This paper examines the impact of industrial robot application on labor cost stickiness of listed companies in the manufacturing industry from 2011 to 2019 by constructing “Bartik 's instrumental variables”to calculate the relative exogenous enterprise robot penetration rate.It finds that robot application significantly reduces labor cost stickiness.This impact is particularly pronounced in regions characterized by abundant labor supply,weaker labor protection,and firms with a higher proportion of low-educated,labor-intensive employees with pronounced developmental needs.The mechanism driving this reduction in stickiness lies in the diminished rigidity of labor and employee salary adjustments,predominantly affecting low-education,low-skilled workers.Additionally,we find a synergistic relationship between robot application and digital transformation,primarily manifested through technological spillovers along the industrial chain.Conversely,impacts on labor cost stickiness via intermediate goods markets and other non-technological spillover channels are less pronounced.The inhibitory effect of robots on labor cost stickiness translates to improved business performance,reduced operational risks,and heightened production efficiency.