The ACTU is calling for a ‘fair go in the digital age’ following today’s report that one in three Australian workers are at risk of job loss by 2030 from the introduction of AI by big corporate employers.
The report by the Social Policy Group found that without immediate intervention, Australians in both knowledge-based and manual work are more vulnerable to mass job losses through AI than workers in other comparable OECD countries.
Unions will use consultations with the Department of Industry, Science, and Resources to argue for coordinated government action on a whole-of-economy basis to protect all workers.
The Senate Select Committee’s recent report on Adopting Artificial Intelligence recommended worker-centred regulation to prevent large companies from using AI systems to undermine working conditions, slash wages, and engage in intrusive monitoring and surveillance.
Worker protections on AI would complement the Albanese Government’s focus on building the industries of the future, including through Future Made in Australia and landmark investments in skills and training.
Quotes attributable to ACTU Assistant Secretary Joseph Mitchell:
“We need a fair go in the digital age. Today’s research underlines what unions have been saying for a long time: workers have a right to a strong say in the future of work. We can’t let multinationals and the biggest businesses make all the decisions on AI.
“Every Australian worker and small business will be alarmed by this research that shows one in three workers at risk of job loss from AI. Unions will never accept workers being left behind.
“This research underscores the importance of union campaigns for a Future Made in Australia to create the jobs of the future, reinvigorating our TAFE and vocational training system, and investing in new jobs for a clean energy future. These policies by the Albanese Labor Government must be built upon to deepen and diversify Australia’s economy – so we are building a better future for all workers.
“Workers’ rights and voices should be embedded in every government and workplace response to AI and they should be central to innovation policy going forward.”
