editorial Creating quality jobs for Filipinos

Nearly three million Filipinos in the labor force were unemployed on June 30, 2022, when President Ferdinand r Marcos Jr. took the oath of office as the 17th president of the Philippines. af ter one year, the total number of unemployed in the country went down to a little over two million. The President attributed the drop in unemployment rate to his administration’s efforts at job creation.

Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said the Marcos administration continues to implement sound policies to ensure that the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals remain strong amid the global economic slowdown. The continued downtrend in inflation and the government’s sound fiscal position will help maintain a conducive environment that will encourage more investments and create greater employment opportunities, he said.

The President’s economic team has been conducting bilateral meetings, investor roadshows, and Philippine Economic Briefings abroad to attract foreign direct investments, increase private sector participation in strategic projects, and facilitate the creation of more, better, and green jobs, Diokno said.

To sustain the country’s recent employment gains and ensure that Filipinos can secure the jobs of the future, workers need to enroll in upskilling and lifelong learning programs, according to the National Economic and Development Authority. (Read, “Jobless rate dips to 2nd lowest in May, but Neda flags labor upskilling need,” in the BusinessMirror, July 8, 2023).

Neda Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said retooling and upskilling as well as lifelong learning programs are already being offered by both government and private education and training institutions. He cited the importance of establishing an enabling regulatory environment to improve the ease of doing business and encourage innovation, which will attract investors that have the technology and resources to bring in high-quality jobs.

The President said the government’s efforts to generate quality jobs for Filipinos is a work in progress as his administration continues to make the country businessfriendly. The initiatives being rolled out include mainstreaming digitalization in government to ensure ease of doing business as well as training and upskilling the country’s workforce. (Read, “PBBM: Creating more quality jobs for Filipinos will take some time,” in the BusinessMirror, July 8, 2023).

A recent World Economic Forum survey—Future of Jobs Report 2023—showed the expectations of the world’s largest employers related to job trends from 2023 to 2027. The report brings together the perspectives of 803 companies—collectively employing more than 11.3 million workers—across 27 industry clusters and 45 economies from all world regions.

Employers estimate that 44 percent of workers’ skills will be disrupted in the next five years, and technology adoption will remain a key driver of business transformation. Over 85 percent of organizations surveyed identify increased adoption of new and frontier technologies and broadening digital access as the trends most likely to drive transformation in their organization.

The largest employment losses are expected in administrative roles and in traditional security, factory and commerce roles. Surveyed organizations predict 26 million fewer jobs by 2027 in Record-Keeping and Administrative roles, including Cashiers and Ticket Clerks; Data Entry, Accounting, Bookkeeping and Payroll Clerks; and Administrative and Executive Secretaries, driven mainly by digitalization and automation.

Businesses predict the strongest net job-creation effect to be driven by investments that facilitate the green transition of businesses, the broader application of ESG standards and supply chains becoming more localized, albeit with job growth offset by partial job displacement. Climate change adaptation and the demographic dividend in developing and emerging economies also rate high as net job creators.

Respondents said analytical thinking and creative thinking remain the most important skills for workers in 2023. Six in 10 workers will require training before 2027, but only half of workers are seen having access to adequate training opportunities today. The highest priority for skills training from 2023-2027 is analytical thinking, which is set to account for 10 percent of training initiatives, on average.

Within technology adoption, big data, cloud computing and AI feature highly on likelihood of adoption. More than 75 percent of companies are looking to adopt these technologies in the next five years.

In line with the Marcos administration’s agenda to provide quality jobs for Filipinos, we hope that concerned authorities would consider the outlook provided in the World Economic Forum report to better prepare workers, businesses, and government agencies for the disruptions and opportunities to come. Strengthening the quality of employment in the Philippines and protecting people’s incomes will require government and business leaders to decisively shape these transformations and ensure that future investments translate into better-paying jobs for our people.

AI and the labor union

Rising Sun

WiTh the speedy development of ai language models like ChatGPT, along with automation and the proliferation of ai-powered applications and programs, traditional industries and the job market itself are facing likely disruptions. This is already being felt in many industries, not just abroad but also in the country.

Aside from the preparations that workers must do, such as upskilling and reskilling, it must not be forgotten that workers’ unions have an important role to play. In fact, they must step up their game as they are tasked with the important work of advocating for the interests of workers. Unions need to look more closely at the new issues coming up today in relation to developments in the realm of Artificial Intelligence and study how these affect workers and how they can represent the workers in various labor platforms.

Aside from the preparations that workers must do, such as upskilling and reskilling, it must not be forgotten that workers’ unions have an important role to play. In fact, they must step up their game as they are tasked with the important work of advocating for the interests of workers.

For example, the role of AI has become an important point of contention in the negotiations between the Writers Guild of America, which is currently still on strike, and huge companies such as Disney and Netflix. In an AI-centric world of the not-so-distant future, how can unions help workers protect their livelihood? I hope that the labor groups and our government’s labor offices have looked into this and are putting in place a system that will allow all parties to thrive in this highly advanced, new, and very different setup.

Labor unions will have to figure out new ways of addressing concerns like job security in an era of bots, fair distribution of benefits from automation, and the implications of AI systems on working conditions. What are the parameters related to the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence? How can labor unions protect workers from biases, discrimination, and unfair treatment stemming from the use of AI?

There must be ongoing discussions about the responsible and ethical use of AI among stakeholders such as employers, workers, and labor unions. It is very important for AI to be implemented in ways that respect and protect the rights of workers. Discussions like collective bargaining can also influence the creation of AI-related policies. Stakeholders must realize that involvement is key in making sure their inputs are considered. Be counted, and fight for your voice to be heard because participation is crucial during this time when all the basic and general policies are just being drafted.

As AI technologies continue to create great ripples in our lives, our workers’ unions must remain at the forefront in fighting for the welfare and rights of workers. This task can be daunting, especially during this era, but no one else can/will do it aside from the stakeholders themselves. Everyone must do his or her part in creating a bright future of work in the age of Artificial Intelligence.