BPO high among sectors at risk of automation in Asia – ILO
A study conducted by the International Labour Organization showed that business process outsourcing (BPO) joins textiles, clothing and footwear; automotive and auto parts; electrical and electronics; and retail as the sectors most at risk from automation. The study showed that about 137 million workers or 56% of the salaried workforce from the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand fall under the high-risk category due to automation in the next two decades. According to Deborah France-Massin, director for the ILO’s bureau for employers’ activities, countries that compete on low-wage labor need to reposition themselves because price advantage is no longer enough. The ILO report added that workers need to be trained to work effectively alongside digitalised machines.