The use of artificial intelligence and robots for the different sectors of the Philippine economy is causing jitters among the country’s workforce and could worsen unemployment and subsequently poverty incidents here.
In September 2023, organized labor under the Federation of Free Workers warned that the government’s masterplan must harness AI to create more, not less, jobs, as well as ensuring that the current workforce is not displaced.
This, after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. signed that month a law authorizing the creation of a national employment roadmap and an interagency body to craft the national strategy for job generation, that includes AI.
FFW president Jose Matula, who failed in his senatorial bid in 2022, said “our vision is that the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Inter-agency Council will establish the necessary framework to ensure the responsible deployment of AI Technology.”
Matula stressed to Business World that the council must put forward upskilling programs that allow workers to use automation to their advantage, instead of having robots replace physical labor.
The recently signed law aims to boost the competitiveness of the workforce through upskilling and reskilling programs.
The inter-agency council, which will be headed by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Trade and Labor secretaries, will be tasked to assist local government units in implementing job recovery programs.
NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the law will “facilitate stronger coordination and partnership among relevant agencies and stakeholders for the efficient implementation of employment programs.
Losing jobs to AI
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) in July said 20 percent of Philippine workers face a “high risk of losing their jobs” due to automation.
Josua Mata, secretary-general of the Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO), said the measure will fail to meet its goal of job creation if it does not ensure workers are afforded full-time employment.
“It could fail to live up to its promise of providing the jobs that we need as it missed a very important point: the need to realize the constitutional mandate for full employment,” he said.
Mata reiterated the labor sector’s position that the government must boost public-sector employment programs and offer wage subsidies to micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises.
Already, there are plans to use AI for weather forecasting and smart cities.
U.S. technology companies can find opportunities in these areas and in government frontline services, real estate, banking and finance, safety and security, cybersecurity, retail and e-commerce, education, space exploration, agribusiness, urban planning, manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and transportation.
In Southeast Asia, research from management consulting firm McKinsey suggests that A.I. has the potential to automate roughly 50 percent of the tasks carried out in the four largest economies in ASEAN, including the Philippines.
Furthermore, an October 2020 report by EDBI and Kearney predicts that A.I. could increase Southeast Asia’s gross domestic product (GDP) by up to $1 trillion by 2030, providing a 12-percent boost to GDP (equivalent to approximately $92 billion).
These findings, combined with the acceleration of digitalization brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, demonstrate that A.I. holds significant promise for improving the lives of Filipinos, bolstering local industries, and strengthening the national economy.
#WhyRushToAI #ArtificialIntelligence #Robots #Economy #Employment #BBM #PBBM #Marcos #NEDA #OpinYon #WeTakeAStand