Automation, artificial intelligence and big data will have a dramatic effect on future economies. New technology provides opportunities for growth and prosperity, but it also has potentially disruptive effects on the labour market, making existing skills and tasks obsolete. To achieve sustained and inclusive growth, it is important to understand how we can reap the benefits of new technologies and facilitate the successful transition of the workforce to new opportunities. However, such challenges are not new. The rise of machine-driven looms in the 19th century threatened jobs in the textiles sector, sparking the Luddite movement. Similar fears were present when computers were introduced in the 1970s and 1980s. How did economies respond to these challenges in the past? What are the lessons for today? Bringing together leading economic historians and labour economists with policymakers promises to yield important new insights on technological progress, economic growth, and the future of labour.