In his visionary book The Globotics Upheaval, economist Richard Baldwin describes a reality many still refuse to face: the labor market as we know it is dissolving. Two converging forces robotic automation and digital telemigration are radically disrupting our historical benchmarks. This double shock, which Baldwin calls silent yet profound, demands an urgent reinvention of our economic, educational, and social models. And yet, at the heart of this transformation lies a unique opportunity: to build a new, fairer, more global, and more humane work contract.
White-Collar Jobs Are No Longer Safe
For a long time, automation seemed confined to factories. Blue-collar workers were the primary victims of robotic systems. Today, the wave has reached white-collar jobs. With the rise of artificial intelligence, tasks once considered “intellectual” are now being executed by algorithms: writing, administrative assistance, data management, and even legal advice.
At the same time, the widespread adoption of remote work has given rise to a new phenomenon: telemigration. Today, a young graduate in Dakar, Kigali, or Antananarivo can apply for a job in France, Canada, or the UAE without ever crossing a border. The globalization of services, once slowed by physical or regulatory barriers, is now accelerating at an unprecedented pace.
And contrary to the idea of a distant future, this movement is already underway. Quietly, thousands of companies are partially offshoring their support functions, entrusting entire projects to remote freelancers, or hiring talent from countries with a lower cost of living. All of this is made possible by a digital infrastructure that makes the world feel as small as a smartphone screen.
From Threat to Responsibility: Building Bridges, Not Walls
At Breedj, we’re making the opposite bet to fear: we believe this revolution can and must be structured responsibly. Telemigration should not become a tool for exploiting low-cost talent. It can become a driver of social and economic impact if it’s grounded in a transparent, ethical, and secure framework.
Our platform enables international companies to access qualified talent in Africa, while ensuring legal compliance, tailored HR support, and dignified working relationships. We don’t recruit CVs we support minds. And above all, we build a bridge between two worlds: companies seeking flexibility, and young African talents seeking opportunity.
This requires an innovative intermediation model, but also a political vision: the growth of cross-border remote work must help reduce inequalities not deepen them. By connecting underrepresented regions with global economic needs, we help rebalance opportunity and structure a more humane globalization.
A Systemic Transformation That Requires Support
Let’s be clear: this transformation cannot rest solely on the shoulders of startups and innovative companies. It calls for a deep overhaul of our public policies, education systems, and social safety nets.
First, in education, we must teach digital collaboration, soft skills, adaptability, and AI tool literacy. It’s no longer just about learning a trade it’s about learning to evolve in a fluid, ever-changing, globalized work environment.
Second, on the social front, it’s critical to imagine forms of transnational protection. What happens when an Ivorian developer works freelance for a German SME? Where is their social security? Their retirement benefits? These questions will be central in the years ahead.
Finally, from a regulatory standpoint, governments must accelerate the recognition of remote work as a legitimate and structuring model. Local employment is no longer the only path to economic integration. The global economy is changing legislation must follow.
What Africa Tells Us: A Continent Ready to Work Differently
Africa is often wrongly seen as peripheral, while it is rapidly becoming the demographic and digital heart of the planet. By 2050, one in four people on Earth will live in Africa. Over 70% of this population will be under 30. This youth hyper-connected, educated online, often multilingual is ready to join the global economy, if given the chance.
Remote work enables leapfrogging traditional development stages. There is no longer a need to build an industrial zone to employ 1,000 people. You simply need to connect the right profiles to the right projects, through the right platforms, in a secure framework.
Breedj does not claim to solve everything. But we aim to demonstrate that responsible telemigration is possible built not on exploitation, but on the valorization of local skills. We believe that by investing in training, digital infrastructure, and transparent contracting, we can create a win–win model.
The Role of EOR Providers: Structuring the Globalization of Work
In this era of global transformation, Employer of Record (EOR) providers play a key role. They offer practical solutions to the legal, fiscal, and administrative challenges of globalized work. Acting as a trusted third party, the EOR allows companies to hire remote talent in another country without setting up a legal entity there. This facilitates professional mobility, secures employment relationships, and ensures local compliance.
These solutions are especially well-suited to the rise of cross-border work and form an invisible but essential foundation of the new work economy. At Breedj, we have made this model a driver of inclusion, making it easier to hire qualified talent in Africa while respecting both local and international frameworks.
The upheaval we’re experiencing is not a temporary crisis. It is a structural overhaul of our relationship to work, location, and employment status. Automation will continue. Telemigration will accelerate. The only real question is: how will we organize this new reality?
We call on governments, businesses, and institutions to join this movement not to stop it, but to guide it intelligently, in the interest of talents, regions, and societies.
At Breedj, we believe the future of work is not a war for talent, but a global alliance of skills. It’s time to move beyond the fear of disruption, and build a future of work that is more open, more just, and truly global.
