Kim Young-hoon calls for new social contract to ensure AI benefits reach all workers

Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon said Wednesday that the labor transition in the AI era must be driven not by technological innovation alone, but by a "human-centered transformation" grounded in the protection of labor rights and social dialogue.

Kim delivered the speech, titled "Human-Centered AI Transition," as South Korea's chief government delegate at the 114th International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said Wednesday.

"When social innovation keeps pace with technological innovation, AI becomes a source of growth for everyone," Kim said. "We need a human-centered AI transition that places human dignity and the value of labor at the center, so that technological innovation in the AI era leads to quality jobs and social justice."

He added that international solidarity and cooperation were essential to achieving that goal.

Kim said the South Korean government is pursuing a range of policies to ensure workers are not left behind during the AI and digital transition and can respond proactively to change.

He said the government is building an institutional framework to strengthen the protection of basic rights for all working people, including platform workers, special-employment workers and others in non-traditional forms of work.

Kim also said the government is advancing a master plan for employment stability during industrial transition, aimed at supporting workers' smooth movement and recovery in the AI era. The government is also expanding vocational training, lifelong learning and career transition support for middle-aged and older workers.

He added that the government is continuously strengthening the social safety net through measures including expanded coverage under employment insurance and industrial accident compensation insurance.

Kim said the gains from technological innovation must not accrue only to a privileged few.

"Technological innovation cannot be sustained on the sacrifice of any one party," he said. "A fair and human-centered AI transition will be achieved when trust is built through social dialogue in which workers, employers and government all participate."

He said the benefits generated through the AI transition must not be concentrated among a handful of companies or particular groups, but shared among workers, businesses, prime contractors and subcontractors, and local communities alike. "Fair distribution leading to reinvestment, and reinvestment generating sustainable growth — that is the new social contract for the AI era built for humanity," he said.

Kim said that while no one can yet define precisely what that new social contract should look like, the path forward can be found through the tripartism and social dialogue the ILO has developed over the decades. "South Korea will realize workplace democracy and, through it, complete a true K-democracy," he said.

He doubled down on the importance of social dialogue on the shop floor, saying South Korea faces the task of "extending the democracy of the public square into the democracy of the workplace."

Kim said South Korea has grown from a country that once received international assistance into one that now shares its experience and responsibilities with the world. He said the benefits of AI must likewise not be concentrated in a handful of countries and companies, but must open new opportunities for all nations and workers.

Meanwhile, Wednesday's address marked Kim's second speech at an ILO conference. He first spoke at the 99th conference in 2010 as a representative of labor. This time, he took the podium as South Korea's chief government delegate.

The 114th ILO Conference runs from June 1 through Friday at the UN headquarters in Geneva, with representatives of governments, employers and workers from 187 member states discussing topics including the platform economy, quality jobs, social dialogue and gender equality in the workplace.

On the sidelines of the conference, Kim is scheduled to meet with ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo, the Spanish minister of labor and social economy, the French minister of labor and solidarity, the executive vice president of the European Commission, and the Dutch minister of social affairs and employment to discuss AI-driven industrial transition, social dialogue and responses to labor market change.