The Philippines needs more detailed labor-market data to identify workers supporting the artificial intelligence (AI) industry and determine how the technology is reshaping jobs, an international economist said.
Alexis Antoniades, a former professor at Georgetown University in Qatar, said conventional employment statistics may not adequately capture changes in the tasks workers perform as AI becomes more widely used.
“We need to have data where people work, what type of tasks they do, not just on their employment status,” Antoniades said during a roundtable organized by the Institute for Labor Studies (ILS) of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).
Antoniades said much of the human labor involved in preparing data for AI systems is performed by workers in the Global South, including image and video annotators and content moderators.
“When we use AI and ask a question, we get an answer because the large language model was trained on data,” he said.
“There are two parts. One is, how do we identify those people? And then how do we probably recognize and reward those people?” Antoniades added.
He said governments and international organizations such as the International Labor Organization could use labor surveys and administrative records as a starting point for identifying workers involved in AI-related activities.
“It’s the responsibility of organizations and governments to know who in their country is working [in the sector] and what they are doing,” he said.
AI-related labor demand, however, extends beyond workers directly involved in developing models or preparing training data.
Antoniades pointed to the physical infrastructure supporting AI, particularly data centers, which require electricians, plumbers, and other skilled workers.
He also cited caregivers and nurses as occupations that could benefit from changing global labor demand, potentially creating opportunities for the Philippines to supply skills needed in other countries.
AI is also changing how employers evaluate workers, with Antoniades saying academic credentials may become less important relative to demonstrated skills.
“The degree doesn’t have the benefit it had before,” he said.
Antoniades said workers who performed better were not necessarily those with expected academic backgrounds, but those who could clearly explain how to solve a problem and formulate effective prompts for an AI system.
He said AI training should therefore be made accessible to workers who risk being left behind by technological change, particularly women.
“I think we have a responsibility to provide the right environment for women to receive training in AI…there is a unique opportunity,” he said.
Antoniades also called for closer cooperation among government, businesses, research institutions, academe, and workers in responding to changes brought about by AI.
“We need partnerships among private sector, the government, research institutions, and academia,” he said.
He cautioned against relying solely on legislation to govern AI, given the pace at which the technology is developing.
“Passing some laws will make no difference… it’s about educating companies and having checks and balances,” Antoniades said.
ILS executive director Jeanette T. Damo said research should help inform government decisions affecting workers.
“Research serves its highest purpose when it informs policy discussions, supports decision-making, and contributes to improving the lives of Filipino workers and their families,” Damo said.
PIDS president Philip Arnold P. Tuaño said changes in work and skills also raise broader questions about the country’s development.
“The questions we face today about work, skills, and employment are not simply economic questions — they are questions about the kind of society we want to build for Filipinos and the kind of future we want our workers to enter,” Tuaño said.
The roundtable was held as part of the 24th Development Policy Research Month, an annual initiative promoting discussion of development research and its policy implications.
