This book aims to enrich the future of work debates with evidence from the Global South. This, in turn, is key for a policy agenda that needs context specific and data-driven frameworks to promote the creation of high-quality jobs in developing countries amid the fourth industrial revolution.
The book covers two important topics. The section on automation brings fresh perspectives on relevant debates in the literature, such as the “hollowing out” phenomenon and whether the Global South is experiencing changes in employment patterns similar to those seen in the Global North due to technological change. The second section of the book is dedicated to labor platforms and analyzes how the diffusion of these new forms of work impacts workers in developing countries. Gender differences are analyzed cross thematically across the book, showing how women tend to be worse prepared to face these trends.
As the research agenda is still under construction, these pieces of research can be understood as raw material to kick-start a discussion that should continue to grow.
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.