Automation shaking up work choices; upskilling key for future growth

Though automation will make many jobs in IT and banking industry obsolete, new segments like data science, and artificial intelligence (AI) are likely to generate new opportunities

Automation is bringing about changes in work choices like never before as some profiles get obsolete and new job roles make their way to cyber security, cloud and Big Data, among others, says a report. According to a recent research by Simplilearn Career Data Labs, some of the job roles that may soon go off the radar include those of software test engineer, system engineer, data entry operator and the like. New IT jobs that will be in demand are expected to be in segments like Big Data and data science, artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things, cloud computing and cyber security, among others. "The IT industry is seeing the impact of two major trends -- one, that of AI and machine learning. And second, that of legacy skill sets going out of date," Simplilearn Chief Business Officer Kashyap Dalal said.

Dalal further said that "while there is risk to jobs due to these trends, the good news is a huge number of new jobs are getting created as well in areas like cyber security, cloud, DevOps, Big Data, machine learning and AI. It is clearly a time of career pivot for IT professionals to make sure they are where the growth is".

Automation is gaining prominence in sectors like engineering, manufacturing, automobiles, IT and banking. With increasing adoption of automation, labour-intensive jobs are expected to take a hit.

According to a report by digital economy training company Simplilearn, roles such as data analyst and project manager will continue to generate interest, but the skills required to perform these roles will witness a shift.

The report noted that automation can never replace people.

That said, to make themselves relevant, employees should evaluate the career choices of future and start bridging skill gaps to fit into the evolving business world. Based on a survey of 7,000 IT professionals from key metros, the report said that over 50 per cent of IT professionals with work experience of 4–10 years have invested in courses and training programmes to help them build new skills.