India is among the least prepared countries for automation in Asia-Pacific: Report – BusinessLine

India is among the countries most vulnerable to technological disruption in the Asia-Pacific and least prepared for automation, according to a research study released by Deloitte that was commissioned by Autodesk Foundation.

The study, The Future of Work is Now: Is APAC Ready?, explores the state of automation and the future of work across 12 APAC countries Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The report aims to help identify the labour markets most vulnerable to technological disruption in the region.

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It found India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan most at risk and least prepared for the coming wave of automation.

India ranks the fifth highest in terms of the impact from automation and ninth in the level of preparedness for this impact. It faces a greater impact from automation due to the higher share of employment in agriculture, manufacturing and construction, all of which have been identified as high-risk industries.

According to the report, Indias construction sector is the fifth most vulnerable, ahead of those in Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar and the Philippines.

The construction industry is likely to be among the hardest hit by automation across APAC due to the high proportion of routine and manual tasks and low year-on-year global productivity growth.

In the case of agriculture, India, the Philippines and Indonesia have a higher likelihood of automation, while Pakistan faced the highest risk of impact from automation.

Increased demand for food and sustainable farming methods is expected to lead to higher adoption of automation and digital solutions, the report said.

Technologies such as artificial intelligence can also help reduce spoilage, increase productivity, and add $9 billion to farmer incomes, it further said.

Indias mining sector has the second-highest risk of impact from automation, after Bangladeshs.

The sectors vulnerability to automation is traced to its relatively low skill requirements, its high degree of routine and manual tasks, and use of direct physical activity to operate machinery.

Mining comprises less than one per cent of the workforce in 10 out of the 12 countries analysed, suggesting that automation in mining is well underway.

Adoption of automation has gained significant momentum amid the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the report, close to half of all businesses intend to increase their adoption of robotic process automation over the next year.

Automation creates opportunities for new, more meaningful types of work as it replaces mundane or repetitive manual tasks, but 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, said Rajeev Mittal, Regional Director, India and SAARC, Autodesk.

The pandemic has accelerated demand for automation across sectors, which will greatly transform how companies in India do business, Mittal added.

The report also proposed solutions to help the workforce thrive as automation gains further momentum. This includes raising awareness of the need to adapt, funding industry-specific programmes for digital transformation, and investing in learning programmes to help disadvantaged workers and build resilience.

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India is among the least prepared countries for automation in Asia-Pacific: Report - BusinessLine