The services sector has been having a hard time finding labor ever since the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent Great Resignation—or as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce actually calls it: the Great Reshuffle.
The leisure and hospitality industry has experienced the highest quit rates of all industries, with the accommodation and food services subsector of this industry experiencing a quit rate consistently around or above 4% since July 2022. Restaurants are short of servers and cooks. Assisted living facilities need nurses. Amusement parks need summer staff. The list goes on and on. Enter robots.
As one example, RobotLAB is developing robots for multiple industries, including restaurants, hotels, assisted living facilities, manufacturing, education, hospitality, healthcare, retail and more. Through partnerships with companies such as LG Electronics and SoftBank Robotics, as well as major hospitality chains such as Hilton, Marriott, Disney, and Universal Studios, robots are helping improve the services sector.
Of course, this is only one example. There are so many cases of robots coming to market to help fill in the labor market gaps that exist in many industries, including the services sector.
Here is how robots can help in the services sector:
- Help with food delivery in restaurants.
- Deliver supplies, linens, and more in hotels.
- Prepare foods.
- Clean restaurants, hotels, and more.
- Mow properties at service facilities.
- Perform inventory management.
- Entertain and communicate in museums and exhibitions.
- Provide customer service and concierge at hotels.
- Do check-out at stores.
- Help with customer service in call centers.
- Serve as police patrol.
Attracting—and retaining—workers to these industries is harder than it has ever been before. And while the hiring rate is picking back up, service industries cannot exist without in-person work. Or can they with the help of robots? But keep in mind the only way this will be successful is if man and machine team up and work together to provide better service for all.