Abdiel Franz Bernales

Labor group Federation of Free Workers (FFW) reported on January 16, 2025, that around five million Filipinos nationwide could lose their jobs this year due to the advent of artificial intelligence and climate change in local industries.

Photo Courtesy of Metro News Central. 

In its flagship economic outlook report, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)+3 Macro Research Office stated that generative AI “will exhibit uneven impacts” both across and within economies in ASEAN+3 and could risk diverging growth trajectories.

“Most economies—especially those with lower technological capabilities—could be more exposed to the potential disruption that comes with the broader adoption of AI technology,” AMRO said.

According to FFW, this projection is based on the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s findings that 14% of the total workforce in the Philippines is at risk of being replaced by AI and that 2.3 million jobs will be lost due to the effects of typhoons in 2024.

“We assume that job losses from AI will not happen all at once,” the FFW said in a statement.
The IMF report, dated December 2024, found that an estimated 36% of jobs in the country are “highly exposed” to AI. It also mentioned that more than half are “highly complementary,” where AI can support rather than replace the tasks performed by workers.

However, it indicated that for “low-complementarity jobs,” 14% of the total workforce is at risk of being replaced by AI.
“AI exposure varies by gender, with approximately half of all jobs held by women highly exposed, compared to a quarter held by men,” the report stated.

Meanwhile, Julius Cainglet, FFW Vice President for Research, Advocacy, and Partnerships, mentioned that individuals who were affected by the typhoons may face hardship again.

“Talagang nangangailangan po ng maraming paghahanda kasi ‘yung nawalan ng trabaho sa agrikultura, dala pa lang po ‘yan ng mga super typhoon,” Cainglet said in a press conference.
FFW Chair Sonny Matula noted that employment generated by the upcoming May elections may not offset the projected job losses in different sectors, particularly in agriculture.

He added that job losses are also expected in the business process outsourcing and manufacturing sectors as AI becomes mainstream in business operations.

More fundamentally, AMRO highlighted that widespread Gen AI adoption could “amplify productivity—and growth—divergence” within and between ASEAN+3 economies, leading to slower economic growth in some regions.

AMRO said the region’s existing digital divide could skew the distribution of economic benefits from Gen AI, with more developed economies and privileged groups possibly reaping most of the rewards.

This signals that Filipinos must anticipate these challenges and be well-prepared to face another adversity that should not be overlooked.