Employment opportunities for Filipinos have continued to evolve in recent years. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, many young professionals began redefining employment beyond the traditional office-based workplace. Remote work, digital nomadism and hybrid arrangements have become increasingly common, giving workers greater flexibility in deciding how and where they work.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in 2022 showed that around 10 million Filipinos were engaged in gig work, accounting for nearly a quarter of the country’s workforce. Whether as a primary source of income or a side hustle alongside traditional employment, gig work has become an increasingly popular option for workers seeking flexibility and additional earning opportunities. The rise of digital platforms has further accelerated this trend, making online freelance and contract work more accessible than ever.
According to a report by Upwork, one of the world’s largest freelancing platforms, Gen Z and millennials are more likely to pursue freelance work than traditional full-time employment. Among these groups, Gen Z is embracing freelancing at a particularly rapid pace, reflecting broader shifts in workplace preferences and career expectations.
The rise of accessible artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the 2020s has once again transformed the nature of work. AI is reshaping not only what work gets done but also how gig workers find opportunities, deliver services and compete in an increasingly digital marketplace. As these technologies become more integrated into daily workflows, they are redefining productivity and changing the skills needed to succeed in the gig economy.
Pre-AI gig workers primarily focused on producing content and delivering finished outputs. The advent of AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude is now taking on large portions of that work, allowing freelancers to focus on higher-level responsibilities.
Many are moving beyond execution and positioning themselves as consultants, project managers and strategic partners who guide clients through increasingly complex digital projects and algorithm-based markets.
Despite these advantages, studies suggest that the integration of artificial intelligence into the gig economy presents both opportunities and challenges. A 2025 study by Jiayi Li and Le Liu, published in the Proceedings of the 2025 International Conference on Financial Innovation and Marketing Management, found that while AI can improve efficiency and productivity across digital labor platforms, it may also contribute to labor alienation and income instability among gig workers.
As the global economy becomes increasingly uncertain, the gap between workers equipped with AI-related skills and technologies and those without them continues to widen. In turn, labor market demands are constantly shifting, requiring workers to keep pace with changing expectations.
As AI becomes increasingly integrated into the workplace, workers and industries alike continue to adapt to its opportunities and challenges. While technology will continue to evolve, the way AI is developed, adopted and used will ultimately depend on human decisions. In the evolving world of work, the future of AI will be shaped not only by technological advances but also by how people choose to harness them.
About the author: Angelo Del Prado is a content creator under the Marketing Department of The Manila Times. His passion for writing and journalism began during his years as a campus journalist in elementary and high school. A graduate of development communication from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), he is committed to telling stories that inform, engage and empower communities. As a pioneer member of Tanglaw, the official student publication of the College of Development Communication, he served on the News Editorial Team, producing longform stories that covered issues both within and beyond the university.