****Source- Caribbean Employment Services, first published May 03, 2023
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is exciting, to say the least. Revolutionary new
technology is quickly advancing, and always improving, leaving the world to wonder just
what it could become capable of next. However, some experts have already begun to raise
concerns about the “dark side” of this new technology, questioning its safety and what its
unbelievable capabilities could be used for.
Closer to home, the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
(ECLAC) is likewise raising concerns, cautioning in a recent report that the region must take
care not to let AI advancements lead to lower formal jobs and higher job informality when the
region as a whole is already struggling to restore labor conditions in the wake of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
On the heels of that report, Caribbean Employment Services Inc. believes it would be
prudent for governments, businesses, organizations and other decision-making bodies to
take steps to protect formal jobs. Caribbean Employment Services Inc. is a market-leading
digital talent acquisition service that aims to connect the top talent from the Caribbean with
hiring managers, HR professionals and decision-makers in companies both within the
Caribbean as well as abroad. Further, it aims to provide the region’s jobseekers and those
who are already employed with news and resources related to Caribbean labor. As such, it
considers itself an advocate for positive labor conditions in the region.
While the concept of an “AI takeover” might seem far-fetched for the Caribbean, where not
many jobs are conducted online to begin with and where many jobs seem as though they
could only be carried out by a human, this is actually cause for more concern because the
few, apparently stable jobs that could be replaced by AI are highly-skilled and high-earning.
For instance, countless jobs in the services sector stand to possibly be replaced by AI. If
business process outsourcing (BPO) jobs were to be performed by highly-intelligent AI, as
tech experts are suggesting they could, that could mean job losses in the thousands for
countries like Jamaica, in which the BPO industry employs hundreds.
A dramatic increase in jobs that rely on global digital markets since the onset of the
Pandemic also creates more vulnerabilities, as the ECLAC likewise pointed out. Customer
service, programming, software development and more could potentially be replaced in the
Caribbean, depriving residents of what were once considered stable jobs providing an
above-average source of income.
However, Caribbean Employment Services Inc. does not believe there is cause for panic just
yet. While the ECLAC recommends skills training, which is always a positive in developing a
high-quality workforce, Caribbean Employment supports policies that would protect
Caribbean workers and ensure companies that operate in the region must employ citizens
and residents rather than AI. Developments into the advancement of technology are still
ongoing, however, and Caribbean Employment will continue to monitor closely while
continuing to assist businesses and jobseekers find the best mutually-beneficial employment
matches.
