Latest news with #FutureofJobs2025
Mint
26-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Behind the job cuts: Is AI the real reason?
At present, the outlook is mixed. The World Economic Forum (WEF)'s Future of Jobs 2025 report predicts 170 million new jobs this decade, but 92 million will be lost. One in four jobs globally is exposed to generative AI (GenAI), says a May 20 study by the International Labour Organization and Poland's National Research Institute. Google has laid off 12,000 workers since 2023, including 200 in May. Microsoft, Amazon, and Duolingo are also downsizing, while Meta cut 5% of its workforce in February—even as Mark Zuckerberg has offered $100 million sign-on bonuses to lure top AI talents. Also read | Mint Primer | Family offices total 300 now. What's driving them? Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warns AI could halve entry-level white-collar jobs and push unemployment to 20% in five years. Geoffrey Hinton echoes the risk of mass white-collar job losses. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella links layoffs to AI-focused restructuring, while Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai cites a push for efficiency. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says AI agents will reduce some roles. InMobi CEO Naveen Tewari predicts 80% of coding will be automated by 2025. OpenAI's Kevin Weil and Zerodha CTO Kailash Nadh believe junior developers face the greatest risk. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang believes AI will shift, not erase, jobs. Also read | Mint primer | Air India crash: How is the Indian probe going? Tech layoffs began after the pandemic-era overhiring. Post-lockdown, many reevaluated and downsized. By end-2022, 263,000 global tech workers were laid off, with another 167,600 in Q1 2023, per Statista. While AI's impact on future layoffs remains unclear, automation is expected to replace many manual, rule-based tasks, potentially leading to more layoffs in tech. Also read | Hormuz heat rises: Can India weather an oil shock? Frontline jobs like farmworkers, delivery drivers, and care workers are set to see the highest volume growth, while tech roles in AI, fintech, and big data will grow fastest by rate, according to WEF. Clerical roles—cashiers, bank tellers, and data entry clerks—will face sharp declines. By 2030, 39% of workers' skills will be outdated, demanding constant upskilling. In-demand skills will include AI, big data, cybersecurity, and tech literacy, alongside soft skills like creative thinking, resilience and a commitment to lifelong learning. Also read | What global central banks are signalling about the road ahead WEF says 59% of workers will need upskilling by 2030. Former White House strategist Steve Bannon warns AI-driven job losses, especially in entry-level roles, will become a key political issue by 2028. Karnataka says it will study AI's workforce impact to guide policy. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei proposes a 'token tax" on AI profits for redistribution, while some experts push for Universal Basic Income. Meanwhile, companies may need to rethink fully outsourcing tasks to AI agents that still blur fact and fiction. Also read | Can bike taxis survive India's regulatory crackdown?
The Hindu
06-06-2025
- The Hindu
Beyond connectivity: Rural India's role in building a digitally ready workforce
A recent report from the Ministry of Education highlights that 51% of Indian schools have functional computers, and 53% have internet access. While these statistics underscore the persistent digital divide in our education system, they also set the stage for a more hopeful narrative — one quietly unfolding in the most unexpected corners of the country. In rural India's modest classrooms or via shared screens in households, young learners are showcasing a new kind of digital fluency. One that is not dependent solely on infrastructure or high-speed connectivity, but instead rooted in adaptability, resourcefulness, and desire to explore. These are, in fact, the foundational skills for India's future-ready workforce. As India moves toward a digital-first economy, where an estimated 75% of future jobs will require some level of digital proficiency, as per the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs 2025 report, the urgency to bridge the digital readiness gap becomes increasingly clear. Take the simple act of a child borrowing their parent's phone to listen to a voice note from a teacher. Or the scene of a small group huddled around a tablet, working through lessons together. Or older siblings teaching younger ones to navigate an educational app in their mother tongue. These everyday moments — often overlooked — reflect an early and instinctive digital mindset. Here, learning does not flow in a single direction or medium. It shifts constantly — from textbooks to audio messages, from peer-led discussions to screen-based exploration. This blended approach is not a fallback; it is a preview of lifelong learning in a dynamic economy. Digital literacy is no longer just about operating devices or knowing how to browse the internet or use an app. True digital literacy encompasses agency, confidence, curiosity, and problem-solving — traits that directly impact learning attainment as well as employability. The role of public-private partnerships cannot be understated either. Across the country, we are seeing collaborative efforts to equip teachers with digital tools, integrate STEM modules into rural classrooms, and establish digital labs in resource-poor environments. These initiatives are slowly chipping away at the infrastructural challenges — but the real transformation lies in how children and communities are responding. What began as an access issue is becoming a story of empowerment. India's demographic dividend — with nearly 65% of its population under the age of 35 — offers us an unparalleled opportunity. But it is only meaningful if this generation is equipped with the skills to participate meaningfully in the digital economy. Technology, which allows children to learn in the languages they speak at home, bridge comprehension gaps and foster a deeper sense of belonging in the learning journey. The rural digital learning experience offers more than just inspiration; it offers a scalable, replicable model where curiosity, not connectivity, is the true driver of growth. To build a workforce that is not just employable but empowered, we need to pay close attention to what these children are already teaching us: that the future of digital literacy in India is being written in the homes, courtyards, and classrooms across the country. And if we're willing to listen, we may find ways to create more equitable opportunities to academically build on what is already happening on ground, so that children are not just learning for the future, but are actively building it. (The author is CEO of Bharti Airtel Foundation)
