India lagging in incorporating automation

According to a report, India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan are top countries at risk and the least prepared for upcoming wave of automation. India, in particular, stands at 5^th in terms of getting impacted from automation and 9^th in terms of level of preparedness from the impact. According to the report “The Future of Work is Now: Is APAC Ready?” by Deloitte, impact on India due to automation are expected be large due to high employment shares in agriculture, manufacturing, and construction. All these industries are identified as high-risk industries by the report.

The report explored the situation of automation across 12 APAC countries including Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Construction sector is expected to have hardest hit due to automation across the APAC countries, the report says. According to the report, India’s construction sector is fifth most vulnerable.

Automation creates new opportunities for the economies through giving space for meaningful types of work by replacing the repetitive manual tasks. Rajeev Mittal, regional director, India & Saarc, Autodesk says, “However, the state of preparedness of countries and industries will determine whether they benefit from these advances. Improving digital literacy, supporting disadvantaged workers, and putting in place the right infrastructure and skills will help create new roles that workers can transition into.”