What role will technology play in the creation of high-paying jobs?

Apr 30, 2019

Skipper and third generation fisherman from Thyboron Poul-Erik Rom, 35, works on the bridge with his father Ejvind Rom, 65, on their ship Anna-Lise in the village of Thyboron in Jutland, Denmark, March 18, 2019. Each year Poul Erik and his father land fish worth some 25 million Danish Crowns ($3.75 million) from their vessel, one third of which come from British waters. "I like the unpredictability of fishing. Sometimes we catch 200 kilos, sometimes two tonnes, and we never know what prices we will get," he said. "It seems like we have to sail further and further away from the shore to find the fish," said Poul Erik, who worries what will happen if he is restricted access to British water. The problem for Poul Erik and his father is that as the water warms due to climate change, the fish they rely on such as cod and haddock tend to swim towards colder waters nearer the UK and further north. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly SEARCH "KELLY JUTLAND" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. - RC1B99AB4630

Traditional manual jobs are becoming increasingly automated. Image: REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

Daron Acemoglu

Professor of Applied Economics, Department of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Our Impact

The Big Picture

Explore and monitor how Future of Work is affecting economies, industries and global issues

A hand holding a looking glass by a lake

Crowdsource Innovation

Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:

Future of Work

Have you read?

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

More on Future of Work
See all

4 problem-solving tips from the world's 'scrappiest organizations'

Pooja Chhabria

November 21, 2023

These countries are the best at attracting, developing and retaining talent

Victoria Masterson

November 16, 2023

The world’s best countries for remote working

Victoria Masterson

November 8, 2023

Debunking 4 common myths about women in the workplace

Victoria Masterson

November 6, 2023

3 ways to avoid feeling lost in a new job

Eli Joseph

November 6, 2023

5 leaders and the turning points that changed how they lead and build

Linda Lacina and Andrea Willige

November 2, 2023