Two-thirds of the 7.6 million middle-class jobs that vanished in Europe were the victims of technology, estimates economist Maarten Goos at Belgium's University of Leuven.

NPR: Practically Human: Can Smart Machines Do Your Job?

Michael Spence, another Nobel prize-winning economist, in a recent article in Foreign Affairs agrees that technology is hitting jobs in America and other rich countries, but argues that globalisation is the more potent factor.

ECONOMIST: The great mismatch

"The rise stems from increased investment in information technology, particularly back-office and in fact call centres, " Gareth Price of the Economist Intelligence Unit told the BBC's World Business Report.

BBC: India sees jump in foreign investment