Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2018: How Technology Affects Jobs

The economic growth outlook for developing Asia remains vibrant. Asian Development Outlook 2018 foresees continued momentum after growth accelerated to 6.1% in 2017. The region is expected to expand by 6.0% in 2018 and 5.9% in 2019. Excluding Asia’s high-income newly industrialized economies, the prospects for growth are even higher, at 6.5% in 2018 and 6.4% in 2019. Traction for economic expansion will come from strong external demand, which is supported by a further pickup in growth this year in the major industrial economies, and robust domestic demand. This year’s publication draws attention to opportunities and concerns presented by new technologies in the workplace. The application of new technologies will boost productivity, but at the same time it will displace certain types of jobs.