Companies turn to robots to combat worker shortages

There were fears not that long ago that robots would one day take away our jobs.  Now they're taking over because there are not enough people who want to take certain jobs.

With many companies continuing to struggle as they combat persisting employment shortages, they are using robots to help fill the gap.

Singapore is helping lead the robot revolution.  According to the International Federation of Robotics, Singapore has one of the largest numbers of robots in its workforce.

There are approximately 6 robots per 100 human employees in Singapore.

Robots are infiltrating a variety of industries.

One example is Spot, the dog-like robot that patrols construction sites.  It also surveys progress on buildings and reports back to off-site officials in real-time.

Shelf-reading robots are fulfilling tedious tasks at Singapore's public libraries.  They scan labels on thousands of books to make sure they're in the proper location.

The hotel industry is also benefiting from cleaning robots.  They mop floors and zap mosquitos.

And while most people need a little coffee break during the day the robots running coffee shops don't need to take breaks or call out sick.

Even though robots are taking over some menial jobs their widespread use is creating the need for additional jobs in engineering and software development.  Employers hope these higher paying jobs will be more desirable for people.