How will technology impact the future of work in developing countries?

Rapid technological advancement brings the promise of higher productivity and increased efficiencies, affecting the quantity and quality of jobs available, as well as how and by whom they are carried out. While the future of work offers considerable opportunities for both advanced and developing economies, there are also significant challenges associated with the broader impact of technology on jobs, skills, wages, and the nature of work itself.

Although job websites and programmes are expanding in developing countries, major obstacles remain in matching up skills, positions, and locations. Additionally, new skills are required in an age of automation and technology. In most developing countries, large shares of workers remain in low-productivity employment, often in the informal sector with little access to technology – in India, for example, over 90% of the labour force is working in the informal economy (India Ministry of Labour & Employment Survey 2013-14).

This event explores the implications of the changing nature of work on jobs and economic growth in developing countries and reflects on the policies needed to expand the opportunities that technology brings to populations working in insecure, irregular, and low-paid jobs.

When: 18:00 - 19:30, 6 November

Where: Hong Kong Theatre, LSE