AI will replace “low-value” tasks, says Manpower

Jared Laureles and Jessica Xantomila

La Jornada Newspaper
Wednesday, November 27, 2024, p. 19

Contrary to what has been said that it represents a risk to create jobs or replace some professions, artificial intelligence (AI) will not replace beyond 5 percent of the total tasks that workers perform daily and will only be limited to maintenance tasks. low valuestated Alberto Alesi, director of Manpower Mexico.

Speaking to the media, he pointed out that this percentage is due to positions with repetitive and routine activities, very mechanical or operational.

Underlining that the automation of activities still requires human intervention for its operation, Alesi indicated that AI will help improve productivity in the world of work and generate more jobs that require greater training from the worker.

Companies are adapting to the use of the tool with the goal of improving processes, especially reducing the time of repetitive tasks, and allowing workers to focus on activities that require analysis and interaction.he commented.

The director of the human capital firm estimated that the reform that reduces the working day to 40 hours will impact companies’ costs by up to 25 percent. This will depend on the economic situation of each company, so the cost may even increase.

Companies that do have, for example, full 24-hour shifts or airlines, etc., that cost may even go much higher than that.

He pointed out that although Mexico has faced historical labor lags compared to other markets, he considered that it is not possible to apply the changes so often because they would follow each other increasing employer burdens.

He considered that the reform that reduces working hours should be applied gradually at least one hour every year.

Regarding the increase in the minimum wage, Alesi commented that they support the proposal of the labor and private sector to increase it by almost 12.5 percent for next year, since since the previous administration the increases have been at least double digits.

He recalled that 2024 will close with a lower employment expectation than in 2023, in addition to the fact that, like every December, there is a layoff of almost 350 thousand people, mainly in construction and manufacturing.