Brazil Learning Initiative for a World without Poverty (WWP) ( 18.07.2017)  Data on some 27 million Brazilian families are retained in a single registry - the Unified Registry for Social Programs (CadÚnico) - a useful tool for identifying and describing the socioeconomic conditions of low-income families.

Swiss Re Institute (07.07.2017) We live in a world with increasingly uncertain health outcomes. Individuals from developed economies have been living longer for many decades. However, those gains are beginning to be reversed in some countries, particularly within certain communities. Sensor technology is increasingly being deployed to counter these trends.

Les récents progrès de ces technologies posent, dès à présent, des questions moins spectaculaires, mais bien plus concrètes. Par MORGANE TUAL Temps de lecture : 9 min « Je n’arrête pas de tirer la sonnette d’alarme, mais tant que les gens ne verront pas des robots descendre dans la rue pour tuer tout le monde, ils ne sauront pas comment réagir. » Ces propos inquiétants sont signés Elon Musk, le patron de Tesla et de Space X, et grand adepte des coups médiatiques.

McKinsey Global Institute (31.05.2017) Automation, digital platforms, and other innovations are changing the fundamental nature of work. Understanding these shifts can help policy makers, business leaders, and workers move forward. The world of work is in a state of flux, which is causing considerable anxiety—and with good reason. There is growing polarization of labor-market opportunities between high- and low-skill jobs, unemployment and underemployment especially among young people, stagnating incomes for a large proportion of households, and income inequality.

What will the workforce of the future look like, and how can we accelerate the transformation of institutions, organizations, and human skills to keep up with the quickening pace of digital innovation?  Understanding the future of the workforce in a rapidly changing global economy The IDE helps businesses understand how the digital economy will improve job creation and wage equality in the years to come. Our research also seeks to create a better method of measuring the health of an economy in the context of the digital age.

Can a universal basic income resolve future income security challenges? Universal basic income approaches are currently high on the agenda as possible policy options to resolve the income security challenges that emerge on the one hand from new forms of work in the wake of digitalization and automation, as well as from informal and precarious employment. 

JPMorgan Chase Institute. February 2016

How can you get started as a freelancer when the path in your country is unclear? In a series of posts, we’ve invited freelancers from around the world to share tips and best practices they’ve learned along the way. In this post, Leo Brambilla talks about his experience as an Argentinian freelancer. Please note that this article presents general information provided by a freelancer and does not constitute tax or legal advice. It’s a good idea for every freelancer to speak to a personal advisor to determine the requirements and options for your particular situation.

Editor’s note: This essay is part of a series being published to help commemorate the Monthly Labor Review’s centennial (July 1915–July 2015). The essays―written by eminent authorities and distinguished experts in a broad range of fields―cover a variety of topics pertinent to the Review and the work of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Each essay is unique and comprises the words and opinion of the author. We’ve found these essays to be enlightening and inspirational. We hope you do as well. We’re entering a new era.