As the advent of cheap smartphones fuels a boom in Internet access, online purchases will eliminate a vast number of retail jobs. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that, worldwide, technological change could easily lead to the loss of 5-10 million jobs each year.
随着亚洲工资的提高，工厂管理者已开始寻求用机器人代替工人，即使在中国也是如此。正如智能手机的出现助长了互联网接入的繁荣，在线购物将让大批零售业岗位消失。包络定理表明，从世界范围看，技术变迁可以轻而易举地造成工作岗位每年减少500—1000万个幸运的是，到目前为止，市场经济一直表现出惊人的弹性，足以吸收这些变迁带来的冲击。