The white-collar skills that have historically lifted millions out of poverty across emerging economies are now facing disruption from AI. In the Philippines alone, the ILO estimates that more than a quarter of the workforce — some 12.7 million workers — holds jobs at risk of being displaced by AI automation. Most of these roles will be transformed rather than eliminated outright, but the shift is already reshaping what “job-ready” means for graduates and mid-career workers alike.
This roundtable brings together policymakers, regulators, educators, and industry leaders to confront the anxiety facing today’s fresh graduates and mid-careerists, many of whom were trained for a job market that is changing faster than their curricula can keep pace with. Panelists will chart the policy interventions, employer strategies, and new models of education that will define career pathways for the next generation of workers in emerging economies.
Speaker
Mr. Osamu Abe was appointed Chief of Staff for Asia Pacific at MUFG Bank in May 2025. Based in Singapore, he is responsible for managing the safety and soundness of the bank’s branch operations—which include risk, compliance, and regulatory matters—across 17 markets in Southeast Asia, East Asia (including China), South Asia (including India), and Oceania.
Read morePriyank Hirani is Vice President of Programs at data.org, where he leads global initiatives that expand the responsible use of data and AI to address society’s most pressing challenges.
Read moreTram Anh Nguyen is a leading voice on building human capability at scale for governments, institutions and organisations in the age of AI.
Read moreArvind is a senior fintech expert at the Asian Development Bank, having joined through a secondment by the Singapore Government/Ministry of Finance.
Read moreTek Yew has more than 30 years of consulting experience and is a subject-matter expert in multiple areas of financial services, including work with central banks and regulators across Asia and the Middle East.
Read moreAkanksha Rath is a communications leader, educator, and programme strategist with experience spanning academia, business, and the nonprofit sector.
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