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German businesses are increasingly turning to robots to fill jobs as the country faces a severe labor shortage.
由于德國面臨嚴重的勞動力短缺，越來越多的德國企業使用機器人來填補職位空缺。
The situation left about 1.7 million jobs unfilled across Germany in June, official data showed.
官方數據顯示，6月份，德國各地約有170萬個職位空缺。
The country's Chambers of Commerce and Industry has estimated that half of German businesses are currently struggling to fill positions.
德國工商會估計，目前有一半的德國企業難以填補職位空缺。
Germany is Europe's largest economy.
德國是歐洲最大的經濟體。
One of the country's biggest labor issues is the large number of people retiring from the so-called Baby Boomer generation.
該國最大的勞工問題之一是所謂的嬰兒潮一代退休的人數眾多。
People in this group are between the ages of 57 and 75.
這一群體的人的年齡在57歲到75歲之間。
The nation's birth rate has also been going down for years.
多年來，該國的出生率也一直在下降。
Economic experts say it is difficult to replace these retiring workers.
經濟專家表示，很難找到替代這些退休工人的人。
Many younger workers do not want to take jobs seen as dirty and dangerous.
許多年輕工人不愿從事骯臟和危險的工作。
The job shortage situation is currently reducing growth in Germany by about $109 billion a year, official estimates suggest.
據官方估計，目前德國的就業短缺情況正使德國的經濟增長每年減少約1090億美元。
The Federal Employment Agency predicts the amount of available workers will shrink by 7 million people by 2035.
聯邦就業機構預測，到2035年，可用的工人數量將會減少700萬人。
The problem is affecting large, medium and small businesses across the country.
這個問題正在影響全國的大、中、小企業。
Some have decided to replace retiring workers with robotic systems.
一些公司已經決定用機器人系統取代退休的工人。
With similar issues affecting other developed economies, robotic and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies will continue to expand, said Nela Richardson.
內拉·理查森表示，隨著類似問題影響到其他發達經濟體，機器人和人工智能技術將會繼續發展。
She is the chief economist at financial provider ADP.
她是金融服務提供商ADP的首席經濟學家。
"Long term, all those innovations are a game-changer for the world of work. Everybody will do their job differently," Richardson told Reuters.
理查森告訴路透社：“從長遠來看，所有這些創新都會改變職場的游戲規則。每個人的工作方式都會不同?！?/p>
Heavy investment in automation by carmakers and other major industrial companies has made Germany the world's fourth-largest market for robots – the largest in Europe.
汽車制造商和其他大型工業公司在自動化方面的巨額投資使德國成為全球第四大機器人市場，也是歐洲最大的機器人市場。
But as robots become less costly and easier to operate, even smaller companies are also using them.
但隨著機器人變得更便宜、更容易操作，更小的公司也會使用它們。
The International Federation of Robotics has estimated that about 26,000 robotic machines were put in place in Germany last year.
國際機器人聯合會估計，去年德國安裝了大約2.6萬臺機器人。
"Robots enable the survival of companies that see their future at risk due to staff shortages," said Ralf Winkelmann, director of FANUC Germany.
發那科德國董事拉爾夫·溫克爾曼說：“機器人讓那些認為未來因員工短缺而面臨風險的公司得以生存?！?/p>
The company sells about half its Japanese-made robots to small and medium-sized businesses.
該公司將大約一半的日本制造的機器人賣給了中小企業。
Family-run ROLEC is a German company that produces systems to protect industrial electronics and control equipment.
家族經營的ROLEC是一家德國公司，其生產保護工業電子產品和控制設備的系統。
It bought its first robot last year to permit production to continue at night.
該公司去年購買了第一臺機器人，以便在夜間繼續生產。
ROLEC has already bought a second machine and plans to continue investing in automation.
ROLEC已經購買了第二臺機器，并計劃繼續投資于自動化。
"It is great when you turn on the light in the morning and the parts are in the storage container and have been processed," ROLEC's CEO Matthias Rose told Reuters.
ROLEC的首席執行官馬蒂亞斯·羅斯告訴路透社：“當你早上打開燈，零件就在儲存箱里，并且已經加工過了，這真是太棒了?！?/p>
Industry experts say increasing robotic operations are also a sign that robots have become easier to use, with no special skills required.
業內專家表示，越來越多的機器人業務也表明機器人變得更容易使用，不需要特殊技能。
Most now come with a Human Machine Interface, which operates similarly to a smartphone, said Florian Andre.
弗洛里安·安德烈說，現在大多數機器人都配備了人機界面，其操作方式類似于智能手機。
He is a co-founder of SHERPA Robotics, a start-up that targets companies with between 20 and 100 employees.
他是SHERPA Robotics的聯合創始人，這家初創公司的目標是成為擁有20到100名員工的公司。
Even workers and trade unions – which in the past were fearful of job losses linked to robots – have taken an increasingly favorable position.
就連工人和工會——他們過去擔心機器人會導致失業——也采取了越來越有利的立場。
A public opinion study published in June by a robots marketplace organization found that nearly half of German employees see robots as a help to the labor shortage.
一家機器人市場組織在6月份發布的一項民意調查發現，近一半的德國員工認為機器人有助于解決勞動力短缺問題。
I'm Gena Bennett.
吉納·班尼特為您播報。
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