Future of jobs in India is not all AI: Human labour still leads

In spite of the fast growth of technology and automation, the demand for manual labour positions is expected to continue being high, according to a survey by the World Economic Forum (WEF). The study finds that the job market is becoming more complicated and both complex and traditional positions will share the space but may at times go against each other for more importance.

Even though manual jobs are most common, the fastest growth is seen in positions connected to technology. As revealed in the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, employers are expected to need more big-data specialists (120% growth), FinTech engineers (100% growth) and AI and machine learning specialists (80% growth). As a result, it is evident that digital skills and technology are becoming essential for employees and companies, because businesses in all sectors are speeding up digital adoption and seeking tech workers with advanced skills.

Which Jobs Are Most at Risk?

Jobs within the office such as clerical and administration, are among the easiest to automate with new technology.

• Projections show that cashiers and ticket clerks will face the loss of 15 million jobs, reflecting the biggest predicted loss.
• In general, about 5 million jobs could be lost by administrative assistants, building cleaners, housekeepers and employees in warehouses.
• Employment numbers for postal workers, bank tellers and data assistants could decrease by up to 40% in the future.
• Even so, lots of new salesperson and assistant jobs are being forecasted which means these customer-based roles aren’t going away. Clerical and administrative roles are among the most vulnerable to automation and digital disruption.

Human vs Technology: The changing workplace balance

Because of evolving technology and automation, the workplace is going through major changes. At present, people complete about half of all tasks at work, combine human efforts with technology in nearly a third and computers handle the final third. The balance is expected to change a lot by 2030: only around a third of jobs will be done by humans alone, one-third will involve humans and machines together and the rest will be entirely automated. As a result of this evolution, there will be less human labor involved, as technology now plays a bigger part in handling different tasks. For this reason, companies will have to boost their employees’ skills and recruit experts who are well-versed in the latest technology. Most organisations in Europe are choosing to invest in retraining their employees, since they know it is important to stay up to date and flexible in the current environment.

Currently, about 48% of workplace tasks are performed by humans, 32% involve a mix of humans and technology, and 20% are automated. By 2030, the WEF expects this to shift:

• 34% human-only tasks
• 34% shared between humans and technology
• 32% fully automated

This evolution will require both new hiring and significant upskilling. In Europe, 79% of employers plan to retrain existing workers, while 65% expect to hire new talent.

The report warns that 59% of the global workforce will need retraining by 2030 to keep pace with technological change.

• In Spain, 60% of employers call for public policy reforms to make hiring and firing easier, while 49% want more flexibility in wage-setting.
• In France, nearly half believe changes to pension and retirement ages could help address talent shortages.

Almost two out of three workers in India, as stated in the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report, will need to gain new skills or undergo training by 2030, since AI, automation and digital technologies are advancing quickly.

India mainly focuses on upskilling, using major corporations and government partnerships, unlike many western places where main ideas are easing hiring and firing processes or changing retirement ages. The government has made it a priority to join forces with tech companies to offer major training, especially in technological and AI skills and increase the number of vocational and technical courses.

Future outlook

The future of jobs will include both traditional manual tasks and the fast-increasing influence of technology and internet job roles. With changes due to automation and AI, people will have to learn new skills, rules might need to be changed and all must adapt more than ever. Workers and businesses share the challenge to find success in a future where they will be needed to have both technical and hands-on skills.