ILO seeks more investment in upskilling, reskilling

Riyadh: There is a technological divide widening between wealthier and lower-income countries, and within countries between different regions, according to the chief of the International Labour Organization. One job in four is exposed to AI, while 3.3 per cent of jobs are considered extremely exposed. He added that some sectors are particularly vulnerable, especially roles associated with white-collar work.
'At the same time, AI should not be viewed only through the lens of risk. AI can expand inclusion, including by enabling tools such as speech-to-text, and that AI-related advances can support persons with disabilities,' said Gilbert F Houngbo, Director-General of ILO, on the second day of the Global Labour Market Conference (GLMC) in Riyadh on Tuesday.
He also underscored a gender dimension to AI exposure, noting that women are overrepresented in administrative occupations, which can increase vulnerability. He stated that in Arab regions, women are three times more exposed than men.
Houngbo said upskilling and reskilling efforts are progressing, but emphasised the need to go further. 'ILO is calling for increased investment from governments in upskilling and reskilling to support workforce adaptation,' he said.

He also emphasised that communication skills, interpersonal capabilities and problem-solving will remain critical in the age of AI.
Houngbo said the ILO has seen increasing requests from member states for guidance on leveraging AI. He referenced interest in using AI to support objectives such as poverty reduction and training young workers.
'AI can support people in achieving improved work-life balance, and stakeholders should focus on how to maximise these benefits,' he concluded.
Joanne Wright, Senior Vice-President of Transformation and Operations at IBM, shared the company’s experience in adopting AI at scale by becoming its own 'client zero', using its technologies to test and re-engineer workflows across functions.
Speakers highlighted real-world examples from healthcare, retail, hiring and education, noting that organisations and governments face an intentional choice between inclusive transformation and widening inequality.
Venkataramani Suresh, Co-founder and Global CEO, VeriKlick, said, “AI is not replacing jobs so much as it is replacing tasks, and whether that shift becomes inclusive or exclusive is ultimately an intentional choice made by leaders. If people are not upskilling and reskilling, some jobs will disappear — it’s as simple as that.”
Dr Julien Malaurent, Dean of Post-Experience Programmes and Executive Vice-President, ESSEC Business School, stated, “We are shifting from doing to orchestrating. The future skill is not just using AI, but supervising it, judging its outputs and remaining accountable for decisions.”
Stefano Scarpetta, Director for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, OECD, said, 'AI’s productivity gains do not automatically translate into shared opportunity.'