Video interview

Professor Jayati Ghosh discusses technology and the future of work

The greatest anxiety in the world of work today relates to the disappearance of jobs. Professor Jayati Ghosh, from the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, explains the different ways technological change affects employment, and what governments in Asia should do to cushion the impact.

Date issued: 28 April 2016 |

Two types of technological change: productive and disruptive

Everywhere now the buzz is about how technology is going to transform work - and reduce it dramatically. From 3-D printing, to robots that will perform not just some basic services but even more skilled activities like those of accountancy, the fear is that human labour will be increasingly displaced by machines, and so there will simply not be enough employment for all the people who need jobs.


Care Economy

There is little point fighting against such advanced technology. In fact, it replaces arduous work full of drudgery, or makes doing things easier. We should celebrate it. However, the greater surpluses generated in these more productive activities should be transferred to create more demand for employment-intensive activities that enhance the quality of life in society.



Implications for the future of women's work in Asia

Since 1995 there have been only marginal improvements in workplace equality between men and women. Women are still more likely to be unemployed and have fewer chances to participate in the workforce. They are segregated into sectors with lower-quality jobs, offered less access to social protection, and, on average, earn 23 per cent less than men.



Jayati Ghosh is Professor of Economics at the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.  She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Cambridge, England. She has authored and/or edited several books and scholarly articles. Recent books include the edited volume India and the International Economy, (Oxford University Press 2015), Industrialization of China and India: The impacts on the world economy, (volume co-edited with Nobuharu Yokokawa and Robert E. Rowthorn, Routledge 2013). She was awarded the International Labour Organization's Decent Work Research Prize for 2010 in Geneva. She is the Executive Secretary of International Development Economics Associates (IDEAS).