Automation is transforming China's factories, replacing steady jobs with uncertain gig work for millions. As China rapidly deploys robots and AI across its factories, millions of low-skilled workers are struggling to find stable employment, with many forced into temporary gig work instead. This shift is most visible in Kunshan, the manufacturing city near Shanghai that helped make China the world's electronics factory, where factory jobs that once offered a regular pay cheque are disappearing as more work is handed over to robots. Many former assembly-line workers now spend each morning waiting to see if they can land a day's work. According to the New York Times, manufacturers across China are investing heavily in automation to improve efficiency, cut costs and stay competitive as economic pressures and global competition intensify.