The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) flagship economic publication Asian Development Outlook 2018 (ADO) provides a comprehensive analysis of macroeconomic issues in developing Asia and the Pacific, including growth projections by country and region.

Asia has made considerable progress creating good jobs, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. While technological progress and structural transformation have driven this process, there is growing concern that risks from automation enabled by new technologies could undermine future job growth. This year’s ADO theme, ‘How Technology Impacts Jobs,’ emphasises that even as increased automation displaces some tasks, new occupations 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.

The ADO presentation by ADB’s Valerie Mercer-Blackman, Senior Economist, Economics Research and Regional Cooperation Department will address:

• Economic prospects for developing Asia and the Pacific
• Risks emanating from the buildup of private debt
• Trends in foreign direct investment in Asia and impact of US fiscal policy
• Potential benefits of distributed ledger technology for development finance
• Rising automation and the quest for good jobs in Asia
• Policy options to ensure developing Asia’s workers continue to benefit from technological advancements

Ananya Basu, Principal Economist from ADB’s Pacific Department, will discuss developments and forecasts for the Pacific region.

ADO presents analysis of 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 event is presented by the Asian Development Bank, and the Policy Forum.net at Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.

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