Developing countries are at risk

AS EMERGING technologies increasingly take the place of low-skilled workers, what is the impact on developing economies likely to be?

Throughout the 20th century, the adoption of new technology has been essential to a country's development. The Industrial Revolution has provided the foundation of sustained growth in the West. Industrialisation has permitted a number of emerging economies to catch up, including Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.

These remarkable growth stories were achieved by shifting workers from labour-intensive to more capital-intensive production, and more recently to human capital-intensive activities such as information and communication technology.