Science/Technology is not area where you try once, fail and never try again. Sooner or later it will be automated because there are lot of benefits: productivity, saving of nature and human resources and etc.

People in developing countries will figure out other ways to earn money. If people don't have food or money that usually because of stupid dictatorships (long-term) or not having protection against nature crisis (short-term, compare earthquake in Japan vs Haiti) but not because of lack of work.