Indian companies expect to double workplace automation over the next three years
Workplace automation, including the use of artificial intelligence and robotics, is expected to double in India in the coming three years which is expected to be more than the global and APAC average, according to the Global Future of Work survey by advisory company Willis Towers Watson.
However, the survey revealed that very few companies and HR functions are fully prepared to address the organisational change requirements related to automation or the opportunities offered by a larger contingent talent pool.
In India, companies expect work done through automation to increase from a current 14 per cent to 27 per cent in the next three years. In Asia Pacific, the expectation of the companies is lower at 23 per cent as compared to 13 per cent currently.
Contrary to the traditional outlook where automation is believed to replace humans, the study found that more than half the companies in India believe that automation will augment human performance and create new work, not replace it.
Indian organizations anticipate using more contingent and part-time workers and reduce their full time employees from 85-78 per cent in three years' time. This is because 33 per cent companies in India believe that automation enables flexible deployment of work to other locations, compared to the APAC average of 39 per cent.