51% Indians believe AI will help improve productivity at work: PwC survey

Fifty-one per cent of Indians believe that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will help them improve productivity at work, according to a new survey by PwC titled “India Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2023”, released on Monday. India’s average is higher than the global average, where 31 per cent believe AI will benefit them at work.

The survey also highlighted that 62 per cent of Indians believe that the skills required for their jobs will change significantly over the next five years as compared to 36 per cent globally. Moreover, 69 per cent of these Indians know how the requirements will change.

“Most Indian leaders are aware of the criticality to transform their workforce for the future success of their businesses. Similarly, as their work and workplace are undergoing significant changes, employees in India are highly aware of the urgency to upskill, it increasingly becoming an important factor in their career decisions,” said Kartik Rishi, partner at PwC India.

“However, organisations continue to adopt a much lesser focus on skills, especially those for the future, in their talent strategies and programs. Adopting a forward-looking, skills-first approach, which is integrated into their business processes will be a key factor for leaders in sustaining businesses over the next decade.”

Twenty-four per cent of Indians, however, said that AI would negatively impact their work. Globally, the percentage of people who believe this is 14 per cent. Furthermore, 21 per cent of Indian respondents believed AI would take over their jobs as compared to 13 per cent of the global respondents.

The report also highlighted that the Indian workforce is restless, with 42 per cent of employees indicating that they are likely to change jobs in the next year due to expectations of better pay packages and promotions as compared to 2 per cent globally.

Additionally, 70 per cent of Indian participants, as against 35 per cent of their global counterparts, are willing to ask for a promotion. While a significant amount of organisational efforts are focussed on the younger generation, our survey found that managers and senior executives will also need attention.

“The workforce is not settling with a competitive compensation only – which continues to be a hygiene – but also a deeper job satisfaction, and faster growth opportunities to fulfil their aspirations,” said Anumeha Singh, partner at PwC India.

“To thrive, organisations and leaders will need to make some tough choices while blending adaptability with innovative workforce structures and career pathways, for an ever-evolving landscape.”