PORT MORESBY, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Saturday called for better polices to prevent inequality from being widened due to the advance of new technology and automation.

Delivering a speech at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit held here in the capital city of Papua New Guinea, Mahathir said economies now must deal with "the age of disruption," particularly technological disruptions.

As policymakers seek to adjust strategies and practices to deal with the radical change, the challenge is how to ensure no one is left behind, said Mahathir.

"We can expect more disruptions ahead when we become more automated, with unskilled and even skilled workers becoming less and less relevant," he said, adding that people must be careful that the disruption should not widen inequality as it would be bad for growth and social stability.

The prime minister called for policies to be accessible and affordable to citizens, and take care of those losing out in the advance of technology.

He also called for cooperation at the international level on how to best manage technological disruptions, stressing that fairer and more genuine cooperation between the developed and developing economies can help deal with the disruption.