Majority white collar workers fear job loss as AI grows at CAGR of 25-35% in India

By Rajiv Shah

An Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) study, "Labour-force Perception about AI: A Study on Indian White-collar Workers", has revealed that as many as 60% of white collar workers fear job loss as a result of artificial intelligence (IA) being introduced in Indian industry, while only 53% "hope" that new jobs will be created.
Based on a field survey of over 550 white-collar employees, detailed interviews of 31 business executives, and analysis of over 70,000 job vacancies in India from public data sources, the study finds, "The fear of job loss is the least common among senior and leadership-level employees, but significantly higher among early-career and mid-career-level employees."
Carried out under the auspices of the Brij Disa Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence of the IIM-A, the study says that 68% of white collar employees "believe AI will automate their jobs in the next five years", even as noting that entry-level and leadership-level employees "have the least hope of AI creating new jobs".

Pointing towards the type of changes that might take place because of AI, the study, quoting business executives, says, there is fear of "workforce reductions", including among "data entry operators, quality inspectors, demand forecasters, and language translators." Those impacted also include "quality control inspectors and demand planners, management information systems (MIS) managers, and IT support teams."
"Clerical and administrative roles involving data entry, documentation, and routine tasks appear particularly vulnerable to being automated by AI technologies", the study believes, adding, "Such experiences have stoked fears about job security in specific roles."
Such fears are taking shape, says the study, amidst the integration of AI technologies leading to "the creation of specialised job roles focused on topics such as visualisation, forecasting, natural language processing (NLP) experts, and prompt engineers."

Carried out by IIM-A scholars Prof Anindya Chakrabarti, Prof Aditya C Moses, Prof Ankur Sinha, Debjit Ghatak and Amita Todkar, and Boston Consulting Group's Deep Narayan Mukherjee as partner, study estimates that by 2035, AI will "contribute a staggering USD 967 billion to the Indian economy", as the "AI market in India is growing at a CAGR of 25-35% and is expected to reach USD 28 billion by 2030".
The authors say, "India’s growing population warrants AI-driven solutions within critical sectors like education, healthcare, and agriculture to address escalating societal needs", especially in view of the fact that "China+1 initiative’s revitalisation of the manufacturing sector presents opportunities to leverage AI for enhanced efficiency and competitiveness".
Given this framework, the study was necessitated, say the authors, because "the proliferation of AI has reignited the debate on potential 'technological unemployment' across various sectors of the economy", with researchers, technologists, and thought leaders postulating that "an escalating number of tasks traditionally performed by human labour will become automated as AI capabilities advance."

While there is also the view that "the productivity and innovation gains from automation will create new businesses and jobs", the authors believe,"The current study acknowledges that both sides have relevant points given the ‘never-before-seen’ situation and the emergent behaviour of AI’s impact on society." They add, this is because, already, "the impact of AI on the white-collar workforce is multifaceted."
Thus, according to the study, AI usage in the education sector is 74%, in information technology it is 66%, and in public administration 61%. "However, sectors like retail and trade (31%), infrastructure (38%), and finance and insurance (54%) are lagging behind the average", it asserts.
The authors find that in "education, public administration, healthcare, and manufacturing, the percentage of employees self-training is higher than that of employees trained by the organisation, showcasing a greater personal initiative."

In fact, in these sectors, "employees, as individuals, are taking the lead in AI adoption and training themselves compared to the organisations they work for", the study notes, adding, "Compared to 55% of employees using AI at the workplace, 62% of respondents stated to have used AI outside the workplace, and 58% agreed to have personally subscribed to (free or paid) AI-based tools."
The authors say, "52% of employees are self-training compared to 48% trained by organisations, signifying employee push for AI use", which suggests, the "employees are also strongly positive about AI’s impacts on performance and productivity. 72% of employees believe AI skills increase performance and efficiency at work, while 62% of employees believe AI increases productivity, and 59% believe AI complements their work."
Pointing out that "except for retail and trade employees, most employees use AI and believe it increases their productivity and performance", the study states, "58% of employees agree to have already upskilled in AI. 65% of employees want to learn AI skills. 70% of employees believe upskilling in AI is necessary for career growth.While 51% agree they need AI skills for their current job role, 70% are upskilling for future prospects."

Comments

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

What Epstein Files reveal about power, privilege and a system that protects abuse

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* The Jeffrey Epstein scandal is not merely the story of an individual offender or an isolated circle of accomplices. The material emerging from the Epstein files points to structural conditions that allow abuse to flourish when combined with power, privilege and wealth. Rather than a personal aberration, the case illustrates how systems can create environments in which exploitation becomes easier to conceal and harder to challenge.

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu. He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

How Budgam by-poll has changed the J&K government’s way of working

By Raqif Makhdoomi* The political landscape in Jammu & Kashmir has shifted markedly since the Budgam by-election was announced. With Aga Muntazir Mehdi now elected as the MLA from Budgam, celebrations continue at his residence as people congratulate him on what many describe as an exceptional victory. He will represent Budgam for the next four years, and his performance during this term will determine his future in the constituency.

NHRC seeks action report on contaminated water outbreak in Ahmedabad

By A Representative The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in New Delhi has issued notices to the Secretary of the Water Supply Department in Gandhinagar , the Ahmedabad District Collector and the Municipal Commissioner of Ahmedabad, seeking an action-taken report within four weeks on allegations of human rights violations arising from a major outbreak of waterborne diseases in Behrampura , Danilimda ward of Ahmedabad city.

Search This Blog