Robots to the rescue where workers can't be found

In a prosperous economy, there are few takers for new jobs

When Zbynek Frolik needed new employees to handle surging orders at his cavernous factories in central Bohemia, he fanned advertisements across the Czech Republic. But in a prosperous economy where nearly everyone had work, there were few takers.

Raising wages didn’t help. Nor did offers to subsidize housing.

So he turned to the robots.

“We can’t find enough humans,” said Mr. Frolik, whose company, Linet, makes state-of-the art hospital beds sold in over 100 countries. “We’re trying to replace people with machines wherever we can.” Such talk usually conjures visions of a future where employees are no longer needed. In many major economies,