NTUC Blog

Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia, Jun 23, 2017 On 13 June 2017, the Department of Labor and Employment (“DOLE”) issued Department Circular No. 01, Series of 2017 (“D.C. No. 1”) clarifying the scope and application of Department Order No. 174, Series of 2017 (“D.O. No. 174”), otherwise known as the Rules Implementing Articles 106 to 109…

by Laura Tyson, Jun 13, 2017 Advances in artificial intelligence and robotics are powering a new wave of automation, with machines matching or outperforming humans in a fast-growing range of tasks, including some that require complex cognitive capabilities and advanced degrees. This process has outpaced the expectations of experts; not surprisingly, its possible adverse effects…

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David Gewirtz continues his Productivity Hacking series with a look into what it takes to keep up in our changing world. The good news is it’s doable. You just have to be willing to learn. All the time, forever. by David Gewirtz, May 25, 2017 I recently received a note from a journalist colleague I…

by Stewart Wallis, Apr 19, 2016 GDP is like a speedometer: it tells you whether your economy is going faster or slower. As in cars, a speedometer is useful but doesn’t tell you everything you want to know. For example, it won’t tell you whether you are overheating, or about to run out of fuel.

by Reuters, May 12, 2017 KUALA LUMPUR – Domestic workers in Hong Kong are being forced to sleep in toilets, tiny cubbyholes, and on balconies, activists found in an investigation that uncovered the “appalling” living conditions of maids in the wealthy financial hub.

by Justin Wood, May 9, 2017 The year 2017 sees the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) celebrate its 50th anniversary. And there is indeed much to celebrate. But just as importantly, the anniversary is also a moment to think about the future of the region and what lies ahead. The World Economic Forum on…

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by Klaus Schwab, Jan 14, 2016 We stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another. In its scale, scope, and complexity, the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before. We do not yet know just how it will unfold,…

by Anne Fisher, Jan 15, 2016 Making snap judgments about people is usually a mistake, yet we do it all the time, even in high-stakes situations like job interviews.

By: Jeannette I. Andrade, Philippine Daily Inquirer, May 06, 2017 There seems to be no escaping a future where robots and artificial intelligence (AI) get to perform more and more jobs, as sci-fi films warn.

by David Roman, Bloomberg, May 5, 2017 India and the Philippines are likely to post Asia’s fastest economic growth rates in coming years as their working-age population keeps expanding through 2020, in contrast with shrinking workforces across North Asia, Nomura Holdings Inc. estimates show.

With customers in financial services, insurance, and healthcare, Romanian startup UiPath has just secured funding to help it add more AI to its software robots. By Andrada Fiscutean for Central European Processing, May 3, 2017 Software robots can perform human tasks, such as reading screens, saving email attachments, and importing info into a company’s database.

By Edith Regalado (The Philippine Star), May 2, 2017 DAVAO CITY, Philippines – President Duterte vowed to fulfill his campaign promise to put a stop to labor contractualization but asked that he be given more time, as it would not be that easy, especially in certain industries.

by William H. Davidow, Apr 3, 2017 Many Americans have been experiencing massive economic insecurity and want to return to a time when they were able to earn a good living and create a decent life for themselves and their families. President Trump promised to deliver on that wish, to “Make America Great Again,” by…

The hardest activities to automate are those that involve complex interactions with people, such as managing and developing employees, or communicating with customers. By Cynthia Than, http://www.inc.com/cynthia-than/humans-are-still-better-than-robots-at-these-jobs.html

By: Jaymee T. Gamil, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Mar 25, 2017 The heat is on—way before the official summer season. The Philippines once again experienced heat reaching feverish levels on Friday, with Metro Manila registering a heat index of 38.5 degrees Celsius, with a temperature of 34.2 degrees as of 2 p.m., at the weather bureau’s…

with inputs from Danica M. Uy, Mar 23, 2017, Businessworld THE PHILIPPINES’ stature as one of Asia-Pacific’s fastest-growing economies notwithstanding, human development in the country is below average in the region, according to a United Nations report released yesterday that used 2015 data.

By: Julie M. Aurelio, Tarra Quismundo, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Mar 18, 2017 Workers’ groups on Friday questioned the labor department’s new order banning labor-only contracting, charging that it has failed to stop the unfair practice of contractualization.

By: Tina G. Santos, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Mar 16, 2017 MANILA — Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III finally signed on Thursday the Department Order (DO) on contracting and subcontracting. Department Order No. 174 superseded DO 18-A, which was earlier reviewed by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) following complaints from stakeholders and labor groups…

By: Tina G. Santos, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Mar 07, 2017 The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Tuesday deferred anew the issuance of the Department Order (DO) draft on contractualization. This came after the labor and management groups asked for four days “to discuss their fundamental differences,” said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III after…

Businessworld, March 02, 2017 MORE THAN 8.8 million Filipinos in 2015 clocked in more than 48 hours a week, classified as excessive by the International Labor Organization (ILO), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said in a recent report.

High-income earners shoulder only 28.4% of the tax burden, and it has a bigger gap between the taxes they owe government and the amount actually collected from them Rappler.com, Feb 27, 2017 MANILA, Philippines – Low-income earners are bearing most of the country’s tax burden, according to data from the Department of Finance (DOF).

by Shelly Palmer, Feb 26, 2017 Oxford University researchers have estimated that 47 percent of U.S. jobs could be automated within the next two decades. But which white-collar jobs will robots take first?

By Fathin Ungku and Jeremy Wagstaff, Feb 23, 2017 Singapore, a keen early adopter of the sharing economy, has fired a warning shot across the bow of Airbnb and Uber with tighter rules that could shake up their business models and growth ambitions in Asia.

By Czeriza Valencia (The Philippine Star), Feb 22, 2017 MANILA, Philippines – The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has come up with a new medium-term economic blueprint for the country, targeting an upper-middle class economy status with a per capita income of $5,000 by 2022.

by Abby Jackson, Feb 21, 2017 This new trade agreement will add $1 trillion to the world economy Self-driving cars threaten the job security of millions of American truck drivers. At banks, automated tellers are increasingly common. And at wealth management firms, robo -advisers are replacing humans.

by PHILIP PERRY, Feb 21, 2017 Like any other system, capitalism has its positive and negative qualities. Inarguably, it has lifted nearly a billion across the globe out of extreme poverty, between 1990 and 2010. But as with other socioeconomic systems of the past, such as with feudalism, a time can come when revolutionary changes…

By: Jerome Aning, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Feb 18, 2013 The Supreme Court has upheld the policy of the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) requiring teachers of tertiary schools to acquire postgraduate degrees to become tenured or regular employees.

by Rita Linda V. Jimeno, Manila Standard, Feb 13, 2017 Tomorrow will be Valentine’s Day. With Filipinos having a reputation for being naturally romantic, expect restaurants, hotels and motels to be fully booked. Without wanting to be a square, I believe it timely to talk about the worrisome trend, not only in the Philippines but…