18 MN TO CHANGE OCCUPATIONS BY 2030 IN INDIA
CRUSH BY FANS: AAKANKSHA
MUMBAI: Covid-19 will have a lasting impact on labour markets, and as much as 18 million Indian workers will be forced to switch to a newer occupation by 2030 because of the pandemic, a report said on Friday.
The impact will be “disproportionately” felt on low-wage workers in retail, food services, hospitality, and office administration, the report by think-tank McKinsey Global Institute said.
Three broad changes in consumer behaviour and business models will include the rise of remote work and more rapid deployment of automation and artificial intelligence, the report said.
REMOTE WORK IS HERE TO STAY, THERE WILL BE A DECLINE IN BIZ TRAVEL AND AUTOMATION WILL SEE AN UPTICK, THE REPORT SAID
MUMBAI: Covid-19 will have a lasting impact on labour markets, and as much as 18 million Indian workers will be forced to switch to a newer occupation by 2030 because of the pandemic, a report said on Friday.
The impact will be “disproportionately” felt on low-wage workers in retail, food services, hospitality, and office administration, the report by McKinsey Global Institute, a think-tank, said.
The pandemic has disrupted labour markets because companies have been forced to respond to a new dimension of work physical proximity, an official statement explained.
The report identifies the lasting impact of Covid-19 on labour demand, the mix of occupations, and workforce skills required in eight countries including India.
Three broad changes in consumer behaviour and business models will persist to varying degrees because of the pandemic which include the rise of remote work, the increased embrace of e-commerce and virtual interactions, and the more rapid deployment of automation and AI (artificial intelligence), it said.
This will lead to a reshuffling of jobs in the economy over a decade, and over 100 million workers will have to find a new job, it said, adding 18 million of those will be in India itself.
The impact on India has been minimized because between 35-55% of the country’s workforce depends on what was classified as the outdoor production and maintenance arena, which includes construction sites, farms, residential and commercial grounds, and other outdoor spaces. In India, the share of total work hours expended using physical and manual skills will decline by 2.2 percentage points, while time devoted to technological skills will rise 3.3 percentage points, it said.
“The long-term effects of the virus may reduce the number of low-wage jobs available, which previously served as a safety net for displaced workers,” Susan Lund, a partner at McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), said.
These workers will need to prepare themselves to find work in occupations with higher wages that require more complex skills, such as jobs in health care, technology, teaching and training, social work, and human resources, Lund added.
In the future, remote work is here to stay, there will be a decline in business travel, gig work is set to expand, and automation will see an uptick, the report said. “The pandemic will make the reskilling challenge more daunting. Its effects will fall heaviest on the most vulnerable workers,” Anu Madgavkar, also a partner at MGI, said.
Batting great Sachin Tendulkar’s son Arjun was picked “purely on skill” and the left-arm seamer will have to prove himself at this year’s Indian Premier League, the IPL franchise have said. In the last purchase of the players’ auction in Chennai, Arjun joined Mumbai at his base price of $27,522 having been their net bowler in the last IPL.
“We’ve looked at it purely on a skill basis,” head coach Mahela Jayawardene said. “There’s going to be a big tag on his head because of Sachin. But luckily he’s a bowler, not a batsman. I think Sachin will be very proud if he could bowl like Arjun.”
After playing U-16 and U-19 cricket for Mumbai, Arjun made his senior debut in last month’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. “We have to give him time and hopefully not put a lot of pressure on him. Let him evolve and work his way up,” former Sri Lanka captain Jayawardene said.
The franchise’s director of cricket operations Zaheer Khan hoped Arjun would grew better under bowling coach Shane Bond. “The added pressure of the name Sachin Tendulkar is always going to be there on him which he’ll have to live by,” former India pacer Zaheer said.
“He has to prove himself. He has to show all the coaching staff, and the team think-tank, that he belongs there.
“What he does at the highest level is something in his own hands.” Arjun has thanked the franchise for showing faith in him. “Since childhood, I’ve been a die-hard fan of the Mumbai Indians ... I’m excited to join the team and can’t wait to wear the blue-and-gold.”
Aakanksha Singh, who made her Kannada film debut alongside Kichcha Sudeep in Pailwaan (2019), feels that Covid-19 ruined her chances of starring in more Kannada movies. “I still get messages from fans asking me when I will do another Kannada film. I remember after Pailwaan released — there’s this song in the film called Dorassani, which means my dear — and my fans there changed my name to Dorassani. They even declared me Karnataka crush! I feel grateful for all the love,” she recalls.
Interestingly, while working on the sports drama, Singh got offered another Kannada film, but she had to turn it down as her dates were blocked for Pailwaan. Even after its release, the actor got two more film offers, but her characters were similar to the ones in her debut, hence she turned them down. “I wasn’t just playing a love interest or a wife in Pailwaan. It was a beautiful, emotional and important role. I’m always on the lookout for such meaningful parts that would satisfy my creative urge,” says the actor, adding that working with Sudeep has been one of the best experiences of her life. “The stature he has built through his work and the way he carries himself, is amazing. He is a wonderful human being. He looks serious but in reality he’s pretty chilled out. I learned so much from him, especially his nuances and how he focuses on every small detail. The biggest compliment I got from him was when he said, ‘You are a very good close-up actor’ and I was like ‘Am I not good in wide shots, should I work on it?’ He explained that my expressions are good and I can say a lot through my eyes even without saying much, which is a good thing,” gushes Singh.