Stakeholders, gov’t must be ready for automation, AI in workplace -DOLE exec

MANILA, Philippines — Government and stakeholders should help identify new skills and new jobs as the country transitions into automation and artificial intelligence, an official of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Wednesday.

“We have to prepare ourselves na i-transition ang current skills kasi the new operations that will be created would require a set of another kind of skills na kailangan,” Dominique Rubia-Tutay director of DOLE’s Bureau of Employment told reporters after a forum on the 4th Industrial Revolution in Malate, Manila.

“Ang caution dito when we transition from one skill to another it will take about four years dapat ngayon pa lang hinahanda na natin sarili natin,” she added.

Tutay also urged businesses, academe and stakeholders to create a “roadmap” which would help point out new jobs and new skills needed as automation could displace workers in agricultural roles and manual labor.

In a previous study released by technology giant Cisco and Oxford Economics, at least 1.1 million jobs in the Philippines will be gone by 2028 as rapid advancement in technology forces workers to adapt or go unemployed.

READ: Automation, AI seen killing more PH jobs

Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary Rafaelita Aldaba added that more “complicated and complex” jobs are to be expected with the introduction of new technologies.

Aldaba said the use of technology now allows workers to handle complex jobs more productively.

“Yung mga mas complex [na jobs] mag-ne-negotiate ka na yung example yung computer na nakikipagusap sa client but that computer merong tao na nakabantay sa machine kaya ang tawag sa kanya augmented intelligence. Mas productive yung worker,” Aldaba said.

“One person was handling three calls dahil ganun ka powerful yung kanyang machine. One person can handle up to mga five clients at a time,” she added.  /muf