"Robot workers will lead to surge in slavery in south-east Asia, report finds" 12 July 2018

Robots will slash millions of jobs and create an upswing in trafficking and slavery across south-east Asia, research claims.

In a report launched...supply-chain analyst firm Verisk Maplecroft predicts that the rise in robot manufacturing will have a knock-on effect that results not only in lost livelihoods but in a spike in slavery and labour abuses in brand supply chains.

...[M]anufacturing hubs in Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam could lose their jobs....

...Dr Alex Channer, analyst at Verisk Maplecroft...“...People will still have to find work just further down supply chains, where abuses are more likely to occur and regulation and worker rights can be more easily ignored.”

...Sectors identified...as being particularly at risk included agriculture, fishing, manufacturing, retail and electronics.

Women will also be disproportionately affected in the garment, textile and footwear industry.