This development supports the fall of the poverty rate that has fallen by about one percentage point per year since 2003 and reached 15 percent in 2009. On the external balance, balance of payments is  BIS Review 60/2010  3  strong and achieved a current account surplus of $ billion and capital account surplus of $ billion in 2009.
Many fear that downward pressures are deriving from both of these forces in the advanced economies. Historically, there have always been concerns that technological innovation would have negative effects on employment, especially during downturns. In this never-ending debate, views have been rather disparate, with prominent economists occasionally – and not always prudently – venturing into dismal predictions.