Worker re-skilling is critical in AI age, says report
The need for the continuous re-skilling and training of workers in Asia is critical, as the speed and scale of transition to artificial intelligence (AI) is likely to take governments in the region by surprise, according to a report. The MIT Technology Review report said the increasing number of workers excluded from the value creation side of AI would result in the employment landscape in Asia becoming “increasingly polarized.” The report suggested that Asia’s decision-makers must rethink what employment means for their societies and economies, noting that AI’s economic impact will constantly evolve. AI is expected to affect one in every five jobs and remove one out of eight in Asia, said analytics platform Faethm, which provided data used in the report. Less developed Asian countries will see more job loss by automation as a result of AI, the report added. The Philippines, India, and Vietnam are each predicted to see a workforce automation rate of 8% to 9% over the next five years and to see 14% of their manufacturing jobs disappear. In Indonesia, 13% of jobs will be automated by AI within five years, said the report.
