Automation Raises Risk Of Job Loss. Upskill, Say Experts

A recent report by an international research and advisory company forecasts a grim future for the job market in the five biggest economies of Asia Pacific, including India.

By 2040, the working population of these five economies -- India, China, South Korea, Australia, and Japan -- are at a higher risk of automation than North America and Europe, notes Forrester in its latest report 'Future Of Jobs Forecast, 2020 To 2040'.

As per the report, over 247 million jobs across the five economies are expected to be in "jeopardy across industries more susceptible to automation."

While 69 per cent of jobs in India will be under threat from automation, the report adds that the country's main priority will be job creation to accommodate new workers entering the workforce.

While Japan, South Korea and China will see their workforce contract by 19%, 23% and 11% respectively, largely due to an aging population, India will add 16 crore new workers in the next 20 years.

Ashutosh Sharma, research director and vice-president, Forrester, believes that the Indian government is already focused on job creation to offset the rise of automation.

"Make in India along with various production-linked incentives schemes are an effort in that direction. Skill India is another initiative which will prepare rural youths to take up meaningful employment in emerging sectors," he says.

He further says that automation will not adversely hurt job creation capacity in India but raise the overall productivity of a sector. "Automation is key for India to become a manufacturing hub. In a highly productive environment, the reduced number of jobs per unit of production are mitigated through large production scales," says Mr Sharma.

Prof Krishna Nandivada, Faculty, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Madras argues that automation can actually increase the job creation capacity in India and suggests a two-pronged approach to revitalise the labour force amid rapid automation.

"Aggressively identifying the existing workforce that may get impacted due to automation and then upskilling them in a planned but futuristic direction. Identifying the job opportunities in an increasingly automated world and training the newer workforce in that direction," he says.

The focus on upskilling is essential for the future of jobs, not only in India but across the world. With companies turning to automation to streamline production processes and improve efficiency, upskilling employees to manage automation will help the finances of major companies. Sample this: According to a 2018 Capgemini Research Institute report, upskilling employees can help a 50,000-strong organisation save $278 million over three years.

"In every aspect of automation, we need people to not just use the automated tools but also to develop, manage, and improve them. All of these open a large market for jobs, especially in India," says Mr Nandivada, while hinting at the need for higher-order cognitive skills in the future. In simple terms, higher-order cognitive skills entail the ability to think and analyse critically to solve any issue.

Mr Sharma stresses on greater alignment between training available today and the skills that are going to be in demand in near future.

"Automation, in general, transforms blue collar jobs to white collar jobs. In a highly automated future, workers not only need the right technical skills but also need to learn the right behaviours such as professionalism, safety and quality-consciousness," he adds.

The Forrester report highlights the growing importance of the green economy, suggesting that it may help offset some of the job losses due to automation. The five Asia-Pacific economies will create 28.5 million new jobs in renewable energy, green buildings, smart cities and smart infrastructure etc. by 2040, notes the report.

"Investing in STEM education and technology workforce training will be of utmost importance," the report suggests.

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