Irene Brambilla, Andrés César, Guillermo Falcone, Leonardo Gasparini
*The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of IDRC or its Board of Governors. This work was carried out with the aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.
Automation and digitalization are new technologies that boost productivity, growth, and wealth, but also disrupt labor market structures. This policy brief reports results from four related studies that explore the labor market consequences of automation in Latin America from different angles, with different combinations of data, and with different empirical strategies.
The studies explore the effects of robot penetration, characterize the vulnerability of demographic groups according to their tasks and occupations, and assess future risk of automation for different income groups.
IDRC has launched FOWIGS—a research program that will help understand how these changes are affecting the lives of the most vulnerable and suggest pathways for an inclusive digital future. The challenges are large and the questions are complex. But we need to face them now more than ever. Stay connected. Learn how.