The ILO warns that AI is poised to transform the way 80 million ASEAN workers work, but a major wave of layoffs has not yet been detected. Singapore is expected to be most affected, while Thailand ranks fifth in the region.
On July 10, 2569 at 11.06:XNUMX p.m., Bloomberg News reported that The International Labour Organization (ILO) states that artificial intelligence (AI) is likely to transform the way nearly 80 million workers in Southeast Asia work. This represents 22.9% of all employment in ASEAN member countries. However, to date, there is no evidence that the use of AI has resulted in widespread job losses.
The ILO report indicates that approximately 11.7 million workers, or 3.3% of all employment, are in occupations most at risk of being impacted by AI, while around 67% of workers remain in jobs largely unaffected by the technology.
Although generative AI has gained rapid popularity in recent years, the ILO has found that employment in jobs where AI has the potential to replace or assist has continued to grow since 2560, reflecting that AI has not yet created a widespread negative impact on employment.
Occupations at high risk of being impacted by AI include financial analysts, multimedia developers, and stockbrokers—jobs that AI can assist with or partially replace.
The ILO states that research findings reflect that occupations involving the use of generative AI will play an increasingly significant role in the transformation of the labor market in the future. While AI can improve efficiency in specific tasks, these benefits have not yet resulted in significant changes to overall productivity and employment levels.
This study's findings differ from the news reports of several tech companies, such as Shopee and Meta, announcing layoffs or restructuring to increase AI adoption. The ILO found that, overall in the ASEAN region, employment in jobs at risk from AI continues to increase.
The country with the highest proportion of workers in occupations affected by AI is Singapore, at 42.2% of total employment, followed by the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand.
Furthermore, Singapore has been assessed as having the highest AI readiness in the region, thanks to its advanced digital infrastructure, highly skilled workforce, and systematically integrated government policies.
The ILO is urging governments to accelerate the development of AI regulatory frameworks and integrate people-centered AI policies to help workers, businesses, and institutions effectively adapt to the AI transition.
The report states that, ultimately, the impact of AI on the labor market will not depend solely on the level of technology adoption, but also on each country's policies for preparing, skills-enhancing, and increasing the adaptability of the workforce and businesses to this major transformation.
refer : bloomberg.com
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