Though hiring a robot might cost $8 an hour to hiring a human at $15 an hour there are many other factors to consider here

First, the robot is $8 an hour ONLY if you figure you are running this robot 24 hours a day for about 3 years time. 

So, the question becomes: "Do you have enough work to run that robot 24 hours a day for 3 years time until it needs to be maintained or breaks?"

Otherwise, at least with a human being you can hire them or lay them off as you get orders or don't have orders for whatever you are manufacturing or selling or doing.

But, of course if you sign a type of contract for a robot that considers all these things you could custom make your contract for renting a robot to your companies exact needs if you are careful too.

Especially during Omicron, a robot doesn't get sick, so in this way having at least some robots to continue working and manufacturing or whatever you are doing might make sense.

However, there are just so many unknowns during the time of Covid that almost anything in reality could happen now too.