Pandemic speeds labor shift from humans to robots: WEF survey | ABS-CBN

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Pandemic speeds labor shift from humans to robots: WEF survey

Pandemic speeds labor shift from humans to robots: WEF survey

Reuters

 | 

Updated Oct 21, 2020 07:58 AM PHT

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A humanoid robot works side by side with employees in the assembly line at a factory of Glory Ltd., a manufacturer of automatic change dispensers, in Kazo, north of Tokyo, Japan, July 1, 2015. Japanese firms are ramping up spending on robotics and automation, responding at last to premier Shinzo Abe's efforts to stimulate the economy and end two decades of stagnation and deflation. Picture taken July 1, 2015. Issei Kato/Reuters File Photo

ZURICH - Robots will destroy 85 million jobs at mid-sized to large businesses over the next five years as the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates changes in the workplace likely to exaggerate inequalities, a World Economic Forum (WEF) study has found.

Surveys of nearly 300 global companies found four out of five business executives were accelerating plans to digitize work and deploy new technologies, undoing employment gains made since the financial crisis of 2007-8.

"COVID-19 has accelerated the arrival of the future of work," WEF Managing Director Saadia Zahidi said.

For workers set to remain in their roles in the next five years, nearly half would need to learn new skills, and by 2025, employers will divide work between humans and machines equally, the study found.

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Overall, job creation is slowing and job destruction is accelerating as companies around the world use technology rather than people for data entry, accounting and administration duties.

The good news is that more than 97 million jobs will emerge across the care economy, in tech industries like artificial intelligence (AI), and in content creation, the Geneva-based WEF said.

"The tasks where humans are set to retain their comparative advantage include managing, advising, decision-making, reasoning, communicating and interacting," it said.

Demand would rise for workers who can fill green economy jobs, cutting-edge data and AI functions, and new roles in engineering, cloud computing and product development.

Around 43% of businesses surveyed were set to reduce their workforce due to technology integration, 41% planned to expand their use of contractors, and 34% envisioned expanding their workforce due to technology integration, the survey found. (Reporting by Michael Shields; editing by Barbara Lewis)

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DA taking steps to prevent egg shortage, price surge amid global bird flu threat

DA taking steps to prevent egg shortage, price surge amid global bird flu threat

Andrea Taguines,

ABS-CBN News

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Eggs go for sale in a market in Manila on Jan. 17, 2023. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File 

MANILA — The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday said it is taking steps to prevent a possible egg shortage and price surge in the Philippines.

Although the country has not experienced a widespread bird flu outbreak, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel cautioned that an egg supply shortage is possible by April after many egg-laying hens were culled last year.

“Last year, sobrang daming itlog na bumagsak ang presyo sa farmgate ng P4 bawat piraso. Maraming nalugi. Yung mga nalugi naman, kinatay nila yung mga layers nila para magkaroon ng cash,” said Tiu Laurel. 

(Last year, there were so many eggs that the farmgate price dropped to P4 a piece. Many took on losses and culled their layers so they would have cash)

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He said the best way for government to help poultry industry would be facilitate and fast-track the importation of new layers.

SINAG: NO PROBLEMS WITH SUPPLY BUT PRICES STILL HIGH

An agricultural group meanwhile said it is not seeing any problems in supply. It urged the government to look into the disconnect between farmgate egg prices and retail prices instead.

“Mataas din ang markup. From P8 parang per egg ang patong mo, P2. Ang tingin kaagad ay may kulang dahil mahal ang presyo… Hindi suplay ang problem kundi ang tubo ng mga nagbebenta beyond farmgate,” said SINAG Executive Director Jayson Cainglet.

(The markup is high.You get it at P8 per egg and you tack on P2. People would think there is a shortage because of the price. The problem isn't in supply but in the markup by those selling beyond farmgate)

Meanwhile, the DA said it is also trying to avert a crisis similar to the one currently affecting the U.S., where a bird flu outbreak has led to the culling of millions of egg-laying chickens.

It is working to secure the P300 million requested by the National Livestock Program to fund vaccine testing against avian influenza, with the possibility of mass inoculation beginning as early as March.

“Target namin March, April din e so that will give confidence also to our industry,” said Tiu Laurel.

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