The Philippines has the second-highest proportion of workers exposed to generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in Southeast Asia, according to a new study by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
An ILO report revealed that 28.1 percent of employment in the Philippines is in occupations with more than minimal exposure to GenAI. This places the country just behind Singapore, which leads the region with 42.2 percent.
Despite the high level of exposure, the ILO noted that there is still no clear evidence of widespread job losses linked to the technology. Jobs in highly exposed occupations have continued to grow across the ASEAN region.
“The potential for labor market transformation is significant, but widespread disruption is not yet visible,” the ILO stated.
The Philippines’ high ranking is largely attributed to its service-oriented economy and its sizable information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) sector, where many tasks are potentially augmentable by GenAI.
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Across ASEAN, approximately 80 million workers (22.9% of total employment) are in occupations with more than minimal GenAI exposure. However, only 3.3 percent of the region’s workforce falls into the highest exposure category, while around 67 percent remain in jobs with no identified exposure.
The report highlighted that GenAI adoption remains uneven and is currently concentrated in a limited set of occupations and firms. It also pointed out a significant “preparedness gap” across ASEAN economies.
While Singapore ranks high in both AI exposure and preparedness, the Philippines ranks second in exposure but only fourth in preparedness among the assessed economies.
The ILO observed a notable gender gap in AI exposure, with women more than twice as likely as men to work in high GenAI exposure occupations due to their concentration in clerical, administrative, and professional roles. Younger workers may also face increasing challenges as AI adoption grows.
ILO economist and lead author Christian Viegelahn emphasized that harnessing the benefits of GenAI requires more than just technological access. “Productivity gains depend on investments in human capital and social protection,” he said.
The study concludes that future labor market outcomes will depend heavily on how governments, employers, and workers invest in digital readiness, skills development, governance frameworks, and institutions that support both innovation and a just transition.
