JAKARTA – Millions of workers across Asia and the Pacific could see their jobs change or disappear as new artificial intelligence (AI) technologies spread unevenly across the region.

According to The Next Great Divergence report from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), more than half of all jobs in the region face some level of risk, with women and young people among the most exposed because many work in roles that are easier to replace with machines.

“Decisions taken now on infrastructure, digital skills, governance, and regional cooperation will determine whether AI becomes an engine of convergence or the catalyst of a new age of unequal abundance,” the UN agency said.

While AI could bring nearly $1 trillion in economic gains to the region and boost growth, the benefits are concentrated in places like China, Singapore, and South Korea, while entry-level workers in South Asia face the highest exposure to automation.

One in four people in the region still cannot get online, and in many countries high-speed computing is out of reach.

Still, the report says the region could see major economic gains if governments invest wisely. Growth could rise by around two percentage points a year, and new industries could create millions of jobs by 2030.

Microsoft, one of the biggest players in the AI boom, has previously said in a November 2025 report that Singapore has advanced across all parts of the AI ecosystem. It ranked among the top three countries worldwide for the highest AI adoption rates.

But Southeast Asia as a whole remains uneven, with countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines still in the “emerging stage,” where fewer than a quarter of adults use AI tools.