Top 10 Robotics Stocks to Watch

America’s service economy depends on hourly labor, but that foundation is eroding. Employees are leaving faster than companies can replace them. Those who stay are demanding higher pay, stricter schedules, and union protections that drive expenses higher. 

Companies are facing the same challenges: higher costs, persistent turnover, and shrinking margins.

Starbucks (SBUX) is a poster child for labor woes.

Baristas across hundreds of stores have staged strikes and filed union petitions, adding to operational strain. In one Connecticut filing, workers accused management of “inconsistent hours, insufficient pay, insolent management, and incessant out-of-touch changes.”

Other workers are picketing over dress code.

SBUX management understands that good customer service is key to turning the company’s shrinking ship around. 

The company is rolling out the Green Apron program, a plan to invest more than $500 million in additional labor hours to improve staffing, training, and service consistency.

In its most recent quarter, operating margin fell to 10.1%, down 650 basis points from a year earlier, while earnings per share dropped 45%. 

The stock is down big in the last six months, significantly trailing the S&P 500.

Starbucks is spending heavily on its workforce, but profitability and shareholder returns have moved in the opposite direction.

Fast food chains across the board encounter the same dynamic. 

Research shows McDonald’s pays close to $6,000 every time a crew member leaves once hiring, training, and lost productivity are included.

With turnover cycling through the same roles multiple times a year, those costs pile up relentlessly. Managers devote more time to replacing workers than running restaurants, and the constant drain shows up in margins.

Hotels face labor headwinds, too. 

More than 60% of properties say they cannot hire enough housekeepers. Managers are capping occupancy, leaving rooms unsold even when demand is strong. Each uncleaned room is revenue lost, a visible reminder of how labor shortages cut directly into sales.

Now retailers and warehouses are confronting the same challenge.

In retail, companies are falling short of hiring targets, with only 49% of hiring goals achieved—down from 58% just last year—and 53% of hiring leaders report time-to-hire has increased due to fewer qualified applicants.

Across logistics and warehousing, labor shortages have become systemic: 74% of U.S. employers in transport and logistics report difficulty securing skilled talent, and 73% of warehouse managers say they lack enough workers to meet demand.

The writing on the wall is becoming clear: The traditional labor model no longer works.

The tremendous labor pain point is also a tremendous opportunity for companies stepping in to solve the problem at scale.

Here are the Top 10 Robotics Stocks on our radar…