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AI Era Demands New Social Safety Nets, Experts Urge Worker Voice and Broader Benefit Sharing

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Experts at the 5th Hankyoreh People and Digital Forum emphasized the need for policies that reflect workers' voices in AI adoption and share productivity gains with vulnerable groups outside the labor market.
  • A labor researcher warned that Korea faces significant risks from AI adoption due to its advanced manufacturing automation and global supply chain role, with young people being the first to experience these disruptions.
  • Proposals included expanding social dialogue, developing redistribution policies beyond current social insurance, and using corporate profits from AI to fund job training and incentives for youth employment.

Experts at the 5th Hankyoreh People and Digital Forum on April 24th called for new policies to address job displacement and polarization caused by the spread of artificial intelligence (AI). They stressed the importance of incorporating workers' voices into technology adoption processes and sharing the benefits of increased productivity with vulnerable populations outside the traditional labor market.

The youth generation is the canary in the coal mine for the AI era, facing the risks first.

— Jang Ji-yeonJang Ji-yeon, a senior researcher at the Korea Labor Institute, described the vulnerability of young people to AI-driven job market changes.

Jang Ji-yeon, a senior researcher at the Korea Labor Institute, highlighted Korea's dual vulnerability as a major global parts supplier facing advanced automation. She warned that the introduction of "executional AI" would create even greater disruptions than currently experienced. Jang proposed expanding social dialogue channels and designing redistribution policies that extend beyond existing social insurance frameworks. "The youth generation is the canary in the coal mine for the AI era, facing the risks first," she stated, noting their absence from current labor-management-government discussions. She urged consideration of how to develop social insurance systems that can encompass vulnerable groups outside the labor market, utilizing national wealth generated by major exporters like Samsung and SK.

If we don't provide opportunities for young people now, where will we find skilled workers in 20 years?

— Sarah O'ConnorSarah O'Connor, deputy editor at the Financial Times, raised concerns about the long-term impact of AI on youth employment.

Sarah O'Connor, deputy editor at the Financial Times, echoed concerns about declining youth employment in the US and UK due to AI. "If we don't provide opportunities for young people now, where will we find skilled workers in 20 years?" she asked. O'Connor suggested that governments could collect high profits earned by companies through AI and reinvest them in vocational training for youth or offer tax incentives to companies that hire young people. Carl Benedikt Frey, a professor at Oxford University, argued for the creation of "new social safety nets" tailored to each country's context, rather than simply adopting existing welfare models from developed nations. He noted that Europe's welfare systems were built through long negotiations between unions and industries after World War II, emphasizing that lessons learned must be interpreted within each nation's specific circumstances.

We need to design new social safety nets that are tailored to the context of each country.

— Carl Benedikt FreyCarl Benedikt Frey, a professor at Oxford University, emphasized the need for country-specific social safety nets in the age of AI.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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