by Emmanuel Esguerra

Two labor market-related phenomena widely discussed in connection with digitalization are the substitution of computer-enabled processes for labor in some industries, and the growth of various non-standard forms of employment in the so-called gig economy. By way of contributing to the ongoing conversation about the FIRe, we look at what the related literature has to say about the effect of technology on jobs and make a number of observations in light of the current structure of Philippine employment. We also comment on the gig economy in the broader context of heightened employment and income uncertainty associated with contingent employment.