Jobs, technology and challenges

Jayantilal Bhandari

By the year 2025, the demand for skilled talent in advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotic technology and data science is expected to exceed fifteen to twenty times. There is no doubt that in the world of digital talent, India has a lot of potential in the midst of challenges. India can become a global hub of digital talent if it invests heavily in this area.

These days the demand for those working in the digital sector has increased rapidly both nationally and internationally. It is being said that after Kovid-19, industry-business is unexpectedly facing a huge shortage of people in the digital sector. It is also being said in the reports that if the shortage of digital-talent is not addressed soon, then the world’s largest economies will miss billions of dollars in GDP growth in this decade.

At present, the demand for advanced digital skills of the new era is increasing around the world, it can be estimated from the McKenzie report on global employment. It has been said that in the era of digital technology, in the next decade, about 100 million people worldwide may have to change their jobs. According to the report, one out of every sixteen employees in China, France, India, Germany, Spain, the UK and the US will undergo this change. The report also said that the demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and highly digital skill-based jobs will increase and the availability of traditional jobs will decrease.

In the context of the changing scenario of global employment, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has said in its latest report that the role of robots has increased rapidly in industries across the world. In the last one and a half years or so, there has been an unprecedented increase in this. From this it is estimated that by 2025 more than 80 million jobs can be lost in twenty six countries like India, America, China. But due to this machine man, new opportunities of about ten crore digital jobs will also be created by 2025.

It has also been said in the report that due to AI and Corona, the way of working has changed a lot. Now the challenge has arisen to equip ourselves with the skills to suit the market afresh for the job. The report states that there are going to be many new sectors that will require different high-skilled people. Companies will put more emphasis on digital. The trend of working from office will be less. By adapting to these new requirements, the chances of layoffs will be reduced and new opportunities will also be created.

The situation is that the industry-businesses of the country and the world are adopting a multi-pronged approach to meet the new challenges related to digital talent. This includes a number of ways such as new recruits, enhancement of skilling programs through online training, deployment of fresh talent for training to the employed and providing a holistic employment experience to the employees. The situation is also that many countries such as Britain, America and Australia, which were closed to talent till recently, are now devising new strategies to attract high-skill talent. This includes steps such as fast-tracking visas for risky employment and promotion of visas for highly skilled applicants.

Undoubtedly, in the midst of Kovid-19, now the dangers of leaving traditional jobs in the country and the world have increased and in its place new areas like digital employment are rapidly emerging. Experts believe that by the year 2025, the demand for skilled talent in advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, robotic technology and data science could be fifteen to twenty times higher. There is no doubt that in the world of digital talent, India has a lot of potential in the midst of challenges. India can become a global hub of digital talent if appropriate investments are made in the digital skill development sector. Along with this, the Indian economy can grow rapidly. A WEF report states that investment in skill development can add US$6.5 trillion to the global economy and US$577 billion to the Indian economy by 2030.

India’s skill-trained new generation is playing an effective role in handling the economies of many countries of the world. The new culture of work from home (WFH) has gained wide acceptance. Timely quality services provided by India’s Information Technology (IT) sector amid the challenges of Corona have increased the confidence of global industry-business entities in India’s IT companies. Due to the rapid use of technology and innovation in industrial and business needs, not only in the US, but also in various countries of the world including Japan, UK and Germany, in IT as well as in many other sectors such as health care, nursing, power, electronics, There is a huge demand for trained Indian workforce in areas such as food processing, shipbuilding, aviation, agriculture, research, development, services and finance.

In this ever-changing digital world of employment, India can take full advantage of appropriate strategic steps. To establish its dominance in the world in this digital age, India has to change the traditional thinking of talent-development. With the decline of traditional jobs and the rapid growth of digital job opportunities, there are some important things to consider while preparing the new generation for the digital world.

The new education policy has ensured state-of-the-art and global standards related to skill development of the digital world. Also AI has been integrated with the new education system in India in such a way that a large number of skilled professionals can be produced. We have to focus on building digital-capabilities in small towns. Young professional women have to be included in the labor force with improved working standards. More and more women with higher and mixed work standards will have to be included in the new stream. Along with improving vocational education in industrial training institutes and polytechnic institutions, skill skills will have to be encouraged. Apart from this, digital capabilities will also have to be built in small towns.

Along with this, the digital sector of the country will also have to make a strategy that what kind of work can be done from far away places and which work can be done by coming to the office. Now the need to take the digital employment opportunities of the country deep into smaller cities and towns outside the metropolitan limits has to be taken into account. Now the founders of India’s innovative industries will have to focus on creating world class IT related products, which will help the country in the global competition in the field of technology. To drive growth and innovation, India will not only have to continuously invest in skill development, but also develop a work culture that promotes advanced skill development in the country. Only then will the country be able to move fast in the new world of digital talent.