72% of PH Firms Are Using AI -- But Only 1 in 6 Can Hire the Skills They Need

Nearly three out of four Philippine companies are already deploying or piloting AI. The problem? Only one in six can actually find and keep the people they need to make it work.

Two major surveys published this week paint a consistent picture. Aon's Human Capital Trends Study found that 72% of organizations in the Philippines are running AI programs, and 94% expect AI to create new roles and significantly change skill requirements. But when asked whether they can recruit and retain enough AI-skilled workers, only 17% said yes.

Why the gap keeps growing

Deloitte Philippines Country Manager Ramon Chito Ramos Jr. put it plainly: "People are resisting change, they're not upskilled to know how to use AI." He notes that most Filipino firms are stuck in the pilot stage, getting limited returns instead of company-wide efficiency.

Aon's data adds another layer: 55% of PH companies have not benchmarked their compensation strategies recently, making it harder to compete for the talent they need. Only 20% have a clearly defined employee value proposition, and just 13% have mature pay transparency practices.

What this means if you run a small business

You are competing with large corporations for the same small pool of AI-capable workers. But here is the practical play: you do not have to hire AI talent -- you can become it.

• Stop piloting, start solving. Pick one specific business problem (responding to customer inquiries, writing product descriptions, summarizing reports) and use AI to solve it fully -- not just experiment with it.
• Upskill the team you have. Free and low-cost AI training is available from Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI. A team member with 10 focused hours can outperform someone with vague "AI experience."
• Be the early mover. In a market where only 17% of companies have the talent, being AI-capable is a real competitive edge -- not a luxury.

Ramos made a useful comparison: computers once made traditional typists obsolete, but created higher-value roles in editing and content creation. The same shift is happening now. "No longer is it enough to just have a CPA license. Now, you need to be a CPA and AI-enabled."

Sources: Newsbytes.PH -- PH Firms Adopt AI Fast, But Struggle to Hire; BusinessWorld -- Philippine CEOs Bullish on AI, Deloitte