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E-book
Author Dutz, Mark Andrew, author

Title The jobs of tomorrow : technology, productivity, and prosperity in Latin America and the Caribbean / Mark A. Dutz, Rita K. Almeida, and Truman G. Packard
Published Washington, DC : World Bank Group, [2018]
©2018

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Description 1 online resource (xxi, 71 pages) : color illustrations, 2 color maps
Series Directions in development. Communication and information technologies
Directions in development (Washington, D.C.). Communication and information technologies
Contents Introduction -- The need for productivity-enhancing technology adoption in Latin America and the Caribbean -- A conceptual framework -- New lessons from the region on the impacts of technology adoption -- Improving the environment for technology adoption with inclusion -- Conclusions
Summary While adoption of new technologies is understood to enhance long-term growth and average per-capita incomes, its impact on lower-skilled workers is more complex and merits clarification. Concerns abound that advanced technologies developed in high-income countries would inexorably lead to job losses of lower-skilled, less well-off workers and exacerbate inequality. Conversely, there are countervailing concerns that policies intended to protect jobs from technology advancement would themselves stultify progress and depress productivity. This book squarely addresses both sets of concerns with new research showing that adoption of digital technologies offers a pathway to more inclusive growth by increasing adopting firms' outputs, with the jobs-enhancing impact of technology adoption assisted by growth-enhancing policies that foster sizable output expansion. The research reported here demonstrates with economic theory and data from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico that lower-skilled workers can benefit from adoption of productivity-enhancing technologies biased towards skilled workers, and often do. The inclusive jobs outcomes arise when the effects of increased productivity and expanding output overcome the substitution of workers for technology. While the substitution effect replaces some lower-skilled workers with new technology and more highly-skilled labor, the output effect can lead to an increase in the total number of jobs for less-skilled workers. Critically, output can increase sufficiently to increase jobs across all tasks and skill types within adopting firms, including jobs for lower-skilled workers, as long as lower-skilled task content remains complementary to new technologies and related occupations are not completely automated and replaced by machines. It is this channel for inclusive growth that underlies the power of pro-competitive enabling policies and institutions-- such as regulations encouraging firms to compete and policies supporting the development of skills that technology augments rather than replaces-- to ensure that the positive impact of technology adoption on productivity and lower-skilled workers is realized
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references
Notes Resource, viewed June 6, 2018
Subject Labor economics -- Latin America
Labor economics -- Caribbean Area
Technology -- Economic aspects -- Latin America
Technology -- Economic aspects -- Caribbean Area
Labor policy -- Latin America
Labor policy -- Caribbean Area
Technology indicators -- Latin America
Technology indicators -- Caribbean Area
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Economics -- General.
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Reference.
Labor economics
Labor policy
Technology -- Economic aspects
Technology indicators
Caribbean Area
Latin America
Form Electronic book
Author Almeida, Rita, author
Packard, Truman G., 1972- author.
LC no. 2018304608
ISBN 9781464812231
1464812233
1464812225
9781464812224