BENGALURU: As per a four nation study for the Skill Confidence Report by global skill development firm City & Guilds Group, India was the only market where a majority of employees were found to be concerned about the impact of technology on their jobs in the future. The statistics reveal that 79% of business leaders and 63% of other employees surveyed in the country believed automation and artificial intelligence could replace a number of current jobs.

The study which covered 8,000 employees in the UK, US, South Africa and India in May 2016, had 2,055 respondents, including 272 CEOs or senior leaders, 532 middle managers and 1,251 general employees. Summarizing the findings, 91 percent of Indian participants felt that their skills would turn obsolete in the next five years.

Recently Wipro Ltd. announced that it would use its artificial intelligence platform Holmes several aspects of its fixed price projects which would free around 3000 engineers from the company and save up to 46.5 mn dollars. Also, Yuval Noah Harari, a bestselling historian recently predicted that AI will create 'useless class' of humans; ‘the rise of the useless class’ as he calls it. “I’m aware that these kinds of forecasts have been around for at least 200 years, from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, and they never came true so far. It’s basically the boy who cried wolf,” says Harari. “But in the original story of the boy who cried wolf, in the end, the wolf actually comes, and I think that is true this time.” he adds.

On the other hand, the study turns out to be a no-surprise among Indians given the largely out dated education system the country still employs and how every graduate ‘knows’ they will receive ‘true’ skills and expertise at the hands of firms who would have to shell out good money to train them up. 72% of middle managers in India receive training, compared with just 39% of the UK's and 45% in the US. About 80% of Indian respondents were confident that they have the skills required to work abroad, but 40% were worried about the effects of 'brain drain'. About 46% of Indians and 45% of South African respondents believe that working in a multinational environment is a key requirement for their future career, visa-vis 21% in the UK and 25% in the US.

The study also appears to have reaffirmed the obvious fact that skill gaps in Indian organizations were also the most as compared to other nations, with 88% of Indian respondents identifying skill gaps in their organization. The figure was 67% in the UK, 68% in the US and 82% in South Africa. About 40% think skill gaps reduce productivity, and 35% say it means organizations waste time and lack strong leadership. One third of senior leaders feel that companies with less-skilled workforce lose out to competitors. 

On the lighter side, many respondents are confident and banking their hopes on the startup ecosystems and initiatives like ‘Make in India’ which could provide job opportunities and keep the momentum going.

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