Dr. Sawada spoke on the 2018 economic forecast for Asia and the Pacific

On Monday, April 23 at Columbia University, Dr. Yasuyuki Sawada spoke on The Asian Development Bank’s flagship economic publication Asian Development Outlook 2018 (ADO) which provides a comprehensive analysis of macroeconomic issues in developing Asia, including growth projections for 45 economies, including the People’s Republic of China, India, and Indonesia. The report also examines the prospects for developing Asia by subregion: Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. This year’s ADO theme, How Technology Affects Jobs, explores the role of technological progress and structural transformation in creating quality jobs. The chapter addresses the growing concern that risks from automation enabled by new technologies could undermine future job growth. ADB’s analysis shows that as increased automation displaces some tasks, new occupations will emerge to take their place raising the hope that the prevalence of good jobs will not diminish. The displacement of workers due to technology is real. But with the right skills, training, and regulation, Asia can overcome this challenge.