“This fear that robots haveeliminated jobs — this fear is not supported by the evidence sofar,” says World Bank Chief Economist Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg.(Image: Shutterstock)

The rise of automation has so far had a negligibleimpact on jobs at a global scale, the World Bank chief economistsaid, despite common gloomy predictions that humans are set to bereplaced by machines.

While advanced economies have shed industrial jobs over the last two decades, therise of the same sector in East Asia has more than compensated forthe loss, according to an annual report published by theWashington-based international financial institution.

“This fear that robots have eliminated jobs — this fear is notsupported by the evidence so far,” the World Bank's Chief EconomistPinelopi Koujianou Goldberg said in an interview.

Related: U.S. employers behind the curve on automationneeds

The World Development Report 2019 is the latest in a series ofefforts by academics, consultancies and governments to assess theimpact of new technologies on employment. Past studies have oftenforecast automation will destroy more jobs than it creates.

In its report, the World Bank instead stresses that the natureof work in the future will evolve. While technological advances inautomation are starting to handle thousands of routine tasks andwill eliminate many low-skill jobs in advanced economies anddeveloping countries, it's also creating opportunities fordifferent, more productive and more creative jobs.

“This is the fourth industrial revolution, there have been threebefore, and in each case we managed to survive so it's not the casethat machines completely eliminated humans,” Koujianou Goldbergsaid. “Eventually, we will adjust.”

While the effects have been negligible on a global scale, thereport said the share of industrial employment dropped more than 10percentage points over the past two decades in countries includingthe U.K., Spain and Singapore, as workers shifted frommanufacturing to service jobs. Meanwhile, the share went up in somedeveloping countries, such as Vietnam, where it rose from 9 percentin 1991 to 25 percent in 2017.

In the future, workers are more likely to have many jobs overthe course of their careers, largely due to the rise of the gigeconomy, instead of holding down a position with the same employerfor decades, according to the World Bank.

And different skills will be increasingly important, the reportsays. Instead of less advanced skills that can be replaced bytechnology, employers will increasingly be looking to hire peoplewith advanced cognitive skills, like complex problem-solving,teamwork, reasoning and communication talents.

To ease that transition, governments should guarantee auniversal minimum level of social protection, the World Bank said.One option could involve offering insurance independent ofemployment since future workers will likely flit from one job tothe next.

One major area of concern for the World Bank is the impact thetechnological shifts will have on developing countries in Africaand elsewhere hoping to catch up to more advanced peers.

In the past, these regions could rely on growing their economiesby taking advantage of low wages in their own country and openingup to foreign trade. But salaries are less relevant if machinesreplace more people, which could hinder the countries' efforts tocatch up, Koujianou Goldberg said.

— With assistance by Nikos Chrysoloras, and ViktoriaDendrinou

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