WORLD BANK PREDICTION

Automation could eliminate nearly 70% of jobs in developing countries, according to the director of the institution.

This is enough to revive the polemics on the robotization of the economy. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said Monday that two-thirds of jobs now in developing countries are expected to disappear with the automation of the economy.
Robots and 3D printers

The 57-year-old American is not in his first outing on the subject, while the debates multiply, especially in the United States and France. He has already warned of the consequences of the rise of robots and 3D printers in developed economies.

During his conference at the Milken Institute, the training physician explained that the use of technology mechanically limits human intervention in economic activity, hence its impact on employment. But the leader, who has headed the World Bank since 2012, has never announced a wave of such magnitude.

According to Jim Yong Kim, this job destruction will affect all countries, both developed and poor, especially countries with a greater industry and service orientation, without giving the timetable for the changeover. 2020, 2030, 2040? According to him, the countries most affected would be Ethiopia, China and Thailand. Addis Ababa is expected to lose 82 percent of its jobs, according to the president of the World Bank.

Economic Tensions

Job destruction is also expected to affect poor countries, which are currently benefiting from a part of global relocation. The more developed countries, faced with an increase in unemployment, could indeed repatriate part of their activities, thereby creating movements of migrations from poor workers to the richest economies.

Without consultations between countries, these movements could recreate geopolitical tensions, said Jim Yong Kim. Especially in a context where most people have Internet and smart phones to "see exactly how others live" around the world.

Saisi