Worldwide, 83 million workers are likely to be eliminated from their jobs because of AI by 2027.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been sweeping the planet, including our workplace. While this sparks the fear of job displacement among the global workforce, navigating the code of technology is still up to us humans.
According to a report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), 36% of Filipino workers are “highly exposed” to AI. Of this, more than half are rated as “highly complementary,” which IMF describes as jobs “where AI can support rather than replace tasks performed by the worker.”
The report, published last December, also states that AI exposure varies by gender. IMF found that “approximately half” of jobs held by women are “highly exposed” to AI, compared to a quarter by men.
The advancements in AI, however, pose a threat to “low-complementary jobs,” or those at risk of being replaced by AI, which accounts for 14% of the Filipino workforce. Among the sectors most likely to feel the brunt is the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, which has roles with high exposure and low complementarity to AI.
“The BPO industry may experience shifts as AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants handle more customer service tasks,” the IMF said. Next to BPO, other sectors at risk involve routine tasks, such as services and sales, followed by technicians.
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The result of the IMF’s study echoes the statement of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) regarding job losses in the Filipino workforce due to AI. In an interview during the National Employment Summit in July 2024, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma confirmed that “there are” already workers in the country being replaced by AI.
“We can see this not only in what we can call manual operations because this is the first to be affected by the deployment or presence of artificial intelligence,” Laguesma said. Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum (WEF) stated in its Future of Jobs Report in 2023 that 83 million workers worldwide are likely to be eliminated from their jobs because of AI by the year 2027.
To combat the issue, the IMF calls on the government to adapt to AI by developing a data strategy and investing in the right technology. “To ensure that the gains from implementing AI are widely used, the authorities will need to invest in digital infrastructure and education, and strengthen the social safety net,” the organization wrote. It added that private sectors should likewise conduct training programs that are essential in reskilling and upskilling one’s team to make them complementary to AI.
In his interview last July, Laguesma also said that DOLE and its partners have been working on initiatives that will equip workers for the shift. “We continue to coordinate with industry associations, especially those involved in BPO and IT, so that we can work together to outline what training we will do for the workers. That way, we can prepare them for what we also call emerging jobs,” he said.
How to protect your career against AI
According to American analytics company Gallup, people have been fearing that their skills and jobs will become irrelevant due to AI for quite some time already. The phenomenon—sometimes coined as “FOBO” or the “fear of obsolescence”—has been around since 2017 but has only grown between 2021 and 2023, coinciding with the launch of ChatGPT in 2022.
Based on the agency’s poll in September 2023, FOBO has been affecting over a fifth of workers in the US alone. Meanwhile, another study conducted by Jobstreet in the same year states that 35% of Filipinos have already been anticipating the major impact of AI which could “eliminate or significantly transform their careers.”
While AI can put jobs with routine and repetitive tasks at risk, there are still some roles that advancements in technology will never be able to replace. These include careers in agriculture, education, supply chain, and logistics, among many others, according to WEF. The organization also notes that as of 2023, only 34% of all business-related tasks are performed by machines, with the remaining 66% still performed by humans.
This is good news for everyone working on a 9 to 5. At the same time, it’s a reminder to beat, or rather work with, your competition before it kicks you out of your hard-earned career. And just like the changing times, you must offer something AI cannot.
So, how do you protect yourself from job displacement because of AI? The POST then asked for a few tips from Jerico Castro, president of HR consultancy firm TrainingPH, on how to secure your career and prevent AI from taking over.
First and foremost, Castro recommends using AI to learn more and enhance the skill set required for your work. “Use your knowledge to gain more and move up the career ladder using AI,” he said. “Those with a growth mindset and those who embrace technology will contribute more value than those who are just doing their jobs.”
AI-powered platforms, such as coding assistants, design software, and data analysis tools, are key to skill enhancement. Forbes also recommends integrating AI into your daily routine, like creating email responses, doing research, sending out calendar invites, or other technical tasks to help you become more efficient.
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According to Castro, another way to overpower AI is by performing tasks outside your job, which computer systems are not designed to do. He explained, “Do not stick to your job description. Your job description should be the bare minimum. Learn things beyond your job. Unlike AI which follows defined processes, you must optimize different processes to learn how your organization works and many other things, keeping you on the job and making you more efficient.”
If you’re working in customer service, the human resource expert suggests using the key to exceptional work in this field—serving with the heart. “In customer service, AI takes over by answering most customer inquiries. If you work in this field, you can keep your job by being proactive and empathic when dealing with customers,” he said. “Listen with your heart. This is something AI cannot do.”
AI should also not intimidate but empower those in the field of research and development, Castro said. “AI can simplify the work of researchers and analysts. If you work in this industry, you will be able to keep your job and be an asset if you can master the use of AI,” he told The POST.
AI platforms can help researchers and analysts streamline their work by providing summaries of documents in seconds, citing sources in accurate format, and identifying the highlights of data sets for easy understanding. Among the research tools often used by researchers are Semantic Scholar and Elicit that both find relevant literature studies. Meanwhile, Wordtune and ChatGPT can be used to expand your content, with Grammarly and Anyword refining your writing.
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