Robots Threaten Bigger Slice of Jobs in US, Other Rich Nations

The world is commonly divided into industrialized and emerging economies. A new study of how technology will transform demand for workers suggests we might talk of the automated and automating worlds instead. Economic think tank McKinsey Global Institute forecast changes in demand for different kinds of labor across 45 countries as technologies improve to perform physical or office tasks. One key result: Robots pose a more immediate and disruptive threat to the US middle class than they do to middle-income workers in less developed countries like India. The report warns that in the US technology will crimp demand for many types of work, such as office administration and operating construction equipment.