AI threatens nearly a quarter of Southeast Asia’s workforce but not all is lost

A new International Labour Organization report finds that nearly a quarter of Southeast Asia's workforce is highly exposed to generative AI, with clerical, administrative, and professional positions most at risk, while manual trades and agricultural work remain relatively insulated. ILO senior employment specialist Phu Huynh said that being exposed does not mean jobs will be replaced, but that some could move up the value chain or evolve.

AI threatens nearly a quarter of Southeast Asia’s workforce but not all is lost Being most exposed to AI does not mean that jobs would be replaced – just that some could move up the value chain or evolve, analysts say artificial intelligence https://www.scmp.com/topics/artificial-intelligence?module=inline&pgtype=article replaces manual labour have yet to materialise in Southeast Asia – but white-collar workers should brace themselves. International Labour Organization https://www.scmp.com/topics/international-labour-organization?module=inline&pgtype=article ILO . Clerical, administrative and professional positions are most at risk, according to the report. Manual trades, craft and agricultural work remain relatively insulated, with the effects of AI varying across the region based on economic development, digital infrastructure and labour policies. But being most “exposed” to GenAI did not mean that entire professions would be replaced – just that some could move up the value chain or evolve, analysts say. “Our understanding of automation and its impact on jobs has become more nuanced than in the early forecasts surrounding the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” said Phu Huynh, senior employment specialist at the ILO. GenAI exposure among craft and trades workers and skilled agricultural workers “is generally low”, he said. Only 3.3 per cent of Southeast Asian workers were in occupations with highest exposure category, while around 67 per cent had jobs with no identified exposure to GenAI.