Information and communication technology(ICT) has grown as a sector and now employs millions ofpeople worldwide. The proliferation of ICTs has also helpeddigitize how people find and do work. The world will need tocreate over 600 million jobs by 2030 for unemployment toremain at current levels. ICT-enabled employment may helpaddress some of this problem both by creating jobs in theICT sector and by helping to make labor markets moreinclusive, innovative, flexible, and transparent. What cangovernments do to prepare for these changes and maximizeemployment opportunities? This paper is a first step in aneffort by the World Bank to understand how ICTs are shaping,changing, and transforming labor markets. It explores howgovernments and other stakeholders might respond to leveragethe growth of ICTs to help increase employmentopportunities. This paper is structured as follows: section1 serves as an introduction; section 2 defines the scope,focusing on the types of employment opportunities due to ICTas a sector and as a tool; section 3 considers the impact ofthe ICT sector on software programming, IT services, andtelecommunications; section 4 describes how ICTs as toolsempower and include more workers in labor markets; section 5analyzes the challenges and risks that appear alongsidethese opportunities; section 6 discusses human capital,infrastructure, financial, regulatory, and social systemsthat will enable ICT in employment; and section 7 identifiesstrategic themes for governments to consider as theymaximize the gains from ICT's increasing role in theworld of work.
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