Automation Push Leaves Kunshan Factory Workers in the Park

Kunshan, a county about 30-48 km outside Shanghai that once produced one-third of the world’s laptops, is witnessing a rapid replacement of manual labor with robotic systems. Workers who previously earned up to 6,000 yuan (? US$1,145) a month assembling circuit boards now find daily gigs paying 60–120 yuan per shift, or a single day as a security guard for US$18. The transition has turned the once-busy factory floor into a space “all robots driving screws,” leaving many to sleep on benches in Zhenchuan Good Samaritan Park while they search for work.

The Straits Times

For more than two decades Kunshan ranked as China’s most economically developed county, attracting migrant labor from provinces such as Henan. Companies like Pegatron and Inventec—major Apple suppliers—maintained large, labor-intensive assembly lines that provided steady employment for millions of workers from across the country.

The Straits Times

• An estimated 40 million gig workers now operate in China’s manufacturing sector, according to Zhang Dandan, a professor at Peking University.

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• In some large factories, gig labor accounts for as much as 80 percent of the workforce.

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• Hu Xinbing, a 31-year-old former assembler, reports that his workshop now has about half the number of workers it had a year earlier.

The Straits Times

Hu Xinbing spends nights in the park after failing to secure a job during the morning recruiter rush. He describes the new environment as “all robots” and notes that only “support positions” remain for humans to load trays and wires. The physical strain persists; alarms sound if he works too slowly, and he misses the camaraderie of a full crew. Hu also recounts a year-long break from work due to leg inflammation possibly linked to factory chemicals.

The Straits Times

Kunshan’s municipal government has rolled out “generous support” for firms developing artificial-intelligence applications and “flying-car” technologies. This aligns with national objectives that position China as a leader in solar panels, electric vehicles, and AI, while simultaneously encouraging automation to offset trade-related demand uncertainties.

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Zhang Dandan warns that the surge in “smart manufacturing” will expand gig work rather than replace it with skilled positions, noting that many low-skill workers lack pathways to acquire new competencies. She observes that younger workers sometimes prefer gig labor because contract work offers higher immediate flexibility despite lower pay.

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• Precise figures on how many workers have been fully displaced by robots remain unclear.

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• The long-term effectiveness of government-funded high-tech incentives in creating alternative skilled employment for former assembly workers has not been documented.

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• “It’s all robots driving screws. They don’t need people to do it anymore,” — Hu Xinbing, former factory assembler

New York Times

• “It feels like there won’t be any work left in the future, if things keep developing like this,” — Hu Xinbing

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• “When I went again, I took a look and, whoa, there weren’t any people any more,” — Hu Xinbing

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• “Now it’s all just ice-cold machines, and you’re working yourself to death,” — Hu Xinbing

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• “If you don’t have an education, it’s not easy to learn those things,” — Hu Xinbing

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