In the years to come, it is projected that robots will gobble up jobs rendering people jobless. An analysis from Oxford University also states that by 2035 robots will likely take over half the jobs. While it is true that robots will replace humans, but those will be mundane, routine, or hazardous jobs.
Upskill to Stay Relevant
International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that by 2019, 35% of organizations in logistics, health, and utilities will likely automate their operations using robots. IDC further states that the growth in the field of robotics will leave approximately 35% of robotics-related jobs vacant by 2020, which will in turn accelerate the talent race.
Since robots will replace repetitive or routine jobs, it will free up human resources for more strategic and skilled jobs. This means in order to stay relevant, job seekers will need to upskill or reskill with the skills that are in demand. The onus is on the organizations to impart relevant skills to their staffs so they can continue to be part of the workforce.
In its latest report entitled The Global Competitiveness Report, the World Economic Forum has stated that in the wake of jobs lost due to automation and robotics, organizations must support the workers through this transition and help them withstand the economic shock.
In today's dynamic workplace powered by gig economy, this assumes greater significance as nearly 30% workers in the US and Europe; and more than 50% workers in India, China, and Latin America work on informal terms or as free agents.
Catalysts of Growth
In India, the excitement towards robot-powered workforce is probably maximum in the IT sector. There's a whole new suite of roles being projected for the future. The main thrust for automation is coming from the outsourcing industry with tech leaders including Infosys, Wipro and TCS increasingly relying on automation to service their clients.
Apart from a government funding of about $13 billion in robotics, the prolific start-up ecosystem in India is also acting as a catalyst for future driven by AI-powered robots.
On the job front as well, there is a steady increase in the number of opportunities for robotics-related jobs. According to the job site Indeed.com, the number of posts for robotics-related jobs rose a whopping 191% over a three-year period between May 2015 and May 2018.
It is, therefore, amply clear that India is ready to embrace robots as part of its workforce.
The article has been written by Neetu Katyal, Content and Marketing Consultant
She can be reached here.