Jobs more likely to be augmented than destroyed with Gen AI: ILO D-G

The latest ILO data highlights India's significant progress in enhancing social protection, says Gilbert F Houngbo, director-general, ILO

The International Labour Organization’s (ILO’s) research on generative AI has found that jobs are more likely to be “augmented” rather than destroyed. But it is inevitable some jobs will be lost. As far as gig workers go, the ILO will soon start negotiations on an international labour standard to promote decent work in gig and platform work. In an email interview with Ruchika Chitravanshi and Shiva Rajora, Gilbert F Houngbo, director-general, ILO, notes India’s significant progress in enhancing social protection. Edited excerpts:

The latest World Employment Outlook report has projected a mere 1 per cent increase in global employment this year with widening social and economic inequalities. What is your assessment of the future of work and global employment trends?
 

This is undoubtedly a time of deep, interlinked crises, which have compromised the health of the labour market and its prospects. Extreme poverty and extreme wealth have risen sharply and simultaneously for the first time in 25 years. Between 2019 and 2020, global inequality rose faster than at any time since the Second World War. We can tackle problems of this scale only if we work together, with a revitalised multilateral approach and policies that support a future of work built around greater equality and social justice. This will require concrete, practical support for the transitions that are already underway — demographic, technological, environmental — through quality education and skills training, effective social protection, and applying technology to support workers and promote decent work.
 

What role are generative artificial intelligence (AI) and other such digital technologies going to play in the job markets?
 

This will depend on the choices we make. AI has great potential to improve work by identifying risks, taking over dirty, difficult, or dangerous tasks, improving labour inspection systems, increasing energy and resource efficiency, and supporting skills training. But we must ensure it is directed to support and assist people rather than damaging working conditions, increasing inequality, weakening workers’ autonomy, and strengthening work intensity and surveillance. In fact, recent ILO research on generative AI found that jobs are more likely to be augmented rather than destroyed. However, it is inevitable that some jobs will be lost. Some types of employment, notably clerical, are more exposed to AI than others. Linked to this is a gender issue because female employment is, potentially, more than twice likely to be affected. And while jobs in high-income countries are more likely to be affected, those have the resources to invest in AI and benefit from it.
 

Do you see the rise of gig and platform work as a means to make job markets more inclusive?
 

These create valuable employment opportunities, particularly for people unable to follow a traditional full-time work routine, and they include discriminated and marginalised groups, and minorities. But while they offer opportunities for wealth creation and economic growth, they can also lead to exploitation and poor working conditions. An ILO cross-country survey found two-thirds of online platform workers earned less than the average wage, only about 40 per cent had health insurance, less than 15 per cent protection against work accidents or unemployment, and about 20 per cent accrued old-age benefits. This is not acceptable. So, in 2025 the ILO will start negotiations on an international labour standard to promote decent work in gig and platform work.
 

The ILO will hold the 21st International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) in Geneva in October. What have been some of the challenges while defining the issues and what can we expect from the conference?
 

At the 21st ICLS we are not only expecting to see the adoption of new standards on informality but also to get a strong direction from the international community for future priority areas of work such as earnings, digital platform work, and care work, to name a few.
 

The contributory pension schemes launched by the Indian government have seen minimal enrolment over the years. What steps would you suggest to fund and make affordable social-security measures for all workers?
 

The latest ILO data highlights India’s significant progress in enhancing social protection. Data collection on social protection in a vast country like India, with a complex social-protection system, remains a challenge. Improvement in data collection and overall amelioration in old-age benefit coverage, including increase in pension-scheme subscribers, non-contributory benefit recipients, and sector-specific pension schemes, are considered the main factors in bettering the effective coverage of social protection in India. But, in a country of this size, it remains a challenging task covering all workers, especially those in the informal sector. To expand social-protection coverage in India, there is a great need to promote the formalisation of workers and enterprises and to find more fiscal space for social protection to reach the poor.
 

Earlier, during the 111th ILO conference in Geneva, 10 central trade unions complained to the ILO about restricting the nomination of their representatives to the ILO conference. A similar controversy has also erupted over the nomination of the Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) as chair of Labour 20 meetings during the current G20. Any comments?

Trade union independence is a core principle of the ILO. In addition, the ILO stands ready to provide technical assistance on employment and decent work. To achieve the goal of social justice it is essential and critical to have consistent and effective social dialogue and consultations among the constituents while remaining faithful to the essence of the ILO tripartism.