New technologies, innovation, and the future of jobs

New technologies are expected to have a major impact on jobs in advanced countries, both in terms of quantity and the nature of jobs. While some expect a job-less future, others trust in societies and economies to transform and create new jobs. The paper explores the expected impact of technological change on jobs by providing a conceptual framework to analyse the nexus technological change- innovations- jobs. It discusses market, social and political forces in shaping this process. The paper shows that the impact of new technologies on jobs differs significantly across countries, and discusses social capabilities as a major determinant of these differences. The paper concludes that the dynamics of technological change, and the shift from job-destroying to job creating phases of innovations requires social choices, and those countries will create good jobs that are pro-actively shaping this process.