Will Technological Unemployment Fuel Modern Slavery in Southeast Asia?

Technology might produce a spike in slavery, and it's not related to your smartphone addiction. The Human Rights Outlook 2018 report released on Thursday by risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft highlights how the rise in automation and robot manufacturing could force out of their jobs millions of people in Southeast Asia, with women disproportionately affected in the garment, textile and footwear industry. In both Vietnam and Cambodia, for example, over 85% of jobs in those sectors are at high risk of automation, and over 76% of these jobs are held by women, the study says. Automation might lead to a downward spiral, making exploited workers even more vulnerable to labor abuses and an easy prey to human traffickers and slaveholders as they compete for a diminishing supply of low-skilled and low-paid jobs. "Without concrete measures from governments to adapt and educate future generations to function alongside machines, it could be a race to the bottom for many workers," Alexandra Channer, the consultancy's head of human rights, said in a statement.