What Do Indians Believe About the Future of Work in an Era of New Technologies Indians are some of the most optimistic people across the world concerning technology, according to WEFreport
By Shreya Ganguly •
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New age technologies and automation continue to create concerns regarding the future of jobs. While many believe higher adoption of the technologies will reduce the number of jobs available for people, the others are of the view that it would create more jobs. According to a March 2018 report by McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), between 75 million and 375 million people around the world may need to change their occupations and acquire new skills by the year 2030 to meet the demands of future jobs.
"Automation will displace many jobs over the next ten to 15 years, but many more will be created and even more will change. Jobs of the future will use different skills and may have higher educational requirements," according to the McKinsey report.
Interestingly, a recent poll by the World Economic Forum showed that Indians are some of the most optimistic people across the world regarding technology. According to the survey which included 10,000 respondents from 29 countries, 37 per cent of the total respondents believed that technology would make life and job much easier. Out of this, 55 per cent of the Indian respondents believed technology would make life easy.
"The rise of advanced technologies has the potential to create economic and social value, and bolster India's goal of maintaining its growth momentum," said Sriram Gutta, Head of Community Development, India and South Asia, World Economic Forum.
"When it comes to the future of work, Indian respondents are embracing new technology, acknowledging that jobs may be jeopardized, but that a growing economy will continue to provide opportunities," the report noted. About 32 per cent of Indian respondents were of the view that their jobs could get "mostly automated".
According to the data released by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), India's unemployment rate stood at 8.4 per cent as of August 2019. At a time when Indian unemployment rates have reportedly hit a three-year-high, the poll revealed that 37 per cent of Indian respondents believed it would be extremely easy for them to search for jobs in the future even with adoption of automation and new-age technologies.
Credit: World Economic Forum
Credit: World Economic Forum
Credit: World Economic Forum
