Is govt prepared for AI impact on labor? Senator wants inquiry

SEN. Joel Villanueva has filed a resolution urging the Senate to conduct an inquiry to determine government’s preparedness to address the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the country’s labor force.

In Senate Resolution No. 990, Villanueva noted the Department of Labor and Employment said “manual operations” in some offices are the “first to be affected” by the deployment of AI.

“We welcome the new technology to make work and life easy and lift productivity, but this requires DOLE and other agencies to work double time to make our workforce technically adept and equipped with crucial skills like critical thinking and problem solving, otherwise we would just be counting job losses,” said Villanueva, chair of the Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resources Development.

He said that DOLE, the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), and other government agencies should fast-track the readiness and adaptability of the Philippine labor market to AI to prevent job losses.

Villanueva, principal author and sponsor of the “Trabaho para sa Bayan Act” and the Philippine Digital Workforce Competitive Act, also said NEDA should include the impact of emerging industries, including AI, in its ongoing consultations.

“The global push for digitalization and the widespread use of Al in all industries necessitates the need for an examination of the government’s programs and projects to prepare the country’s workforce to fully embrace the challenges of Al,” he said.

A study by the International Monetary Fund showed that almost 40 percent of global employment is exposed to AI. Another survey said 40 percent of young people around the world are concerned about losing their jobs, while 33 percent see AI as a significant driver of change in the workplace.

The Philippines in 2021 launched the National Artificial Intelligence roadmap to accelerate the adoption of AI to advance industrial development, generate better quality entrepreneurship, and provide higher-paying opportunities for Filipinos.

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) created the National Industry Board for Analytics and Artificial Intelligence in partnership with the