5M may lose jobs in 2025 due to AI, climate change — FFW

Around 5 million Filipino workers  are in danger of losing their jobs this year due to artificial intelligence (AI) and climate change, the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) said Thursday.

According to FFW, this is based on the projection of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that 14% of the total workforce in the Philippines is at risk of being replaced by AI as well as job losses of 2.3 million due to the effects of typhoons in 2024.

“We assume that the job losses from AI would not happen in one go,” the FFW said in a statement.

The IMF report, dated December 2024, found that an estimated 36% of the jobs in the country are “highly exposed” to AI. It said more than half are “highly complementary,” where AI can support rather than replace the tasks performed by the worker.

However, it said 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 by men,” the report stated. 

Meanwhile, Julius Cainglet, FFW Vice President For Research, Advocacy, and Partnerships, said that individuals who were affected by the typhoons may become affected again.

“Talagang nangangailangan po ng maraming paghahanda kasi ‘yun pong nawalan ng trabaho sa agrikultura, dala pa lang po ‘yan ng mga super typhoon,” Cainglet said in a press conference. 

(It really requires a lot of preparation because those who lost their jobs in agriculture were primarily affected by the super typhoons.)

“Pagdating po natin ng end of February and March, expect po natin ulit ‘yung heat stress na na-experience natin last year,” he added.

(When we reach the end of February and March, we can expect the heat stress we experienced last year to return.)

To prepare, he said they must intensify efforts and engage employers through social dialogue.
—RF, GMA Integrated News