Institutions, Policies, and Technologies for the Future of Work

In recent years, there has been a proliferation of publications about the future of work. Many of these adopt a somewhat sensationalist tone, predicting a dystopian future without employment; others point to our historical coexistence with technology to attest to our capacity to continue creating new occupations and tasks for humans. This paper goes deeper into this debate by looking at recent studies on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics on labor markets. It predicts an acceleration of the ongoing labor market transformation, which in many countries is already putting pressure on society, polarizing the political discourse, and undermining democracy. The first part focuses on the need to develop a strategy that improves the resilience of workers and firms and increases the creation of quality jobs. The second part discusses the nature of this strategy and how to put it into practice.