India among least prepared for automation in Asia Pacific: Autodesk

India ranks fifth highest in terms of the impact from automation and ninth in terms of level preparedness, according to a research study conducted by Deloitte and commissioned by Autodesk Foundation

India ranks fifth highest in terms of the impact from automation and ninth in terms of level preparedness, according to a recent research study conducted by Deloitte and commissioned by Autodesk Foundation.

The country faces a greater likelihood of being impacted by automation due to larger employment shares in agriculture, manufacturing and construction -- all identified as high-risk industries by the report titled 'The Future of Work is Now: Is APAC Ready?'

It explores the state of automation and future of work across 12 Asia Pacific countries including Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The report aims to help identify the labour markets most vulnerable to technological disruption in A-Pac and propose solutions to help workforces thrive as automation becomes a reality.

The research finds India, Bangladesh and Pakistan are most at risk and least prepared for the coming wave of automation.

Covid-19 has greatly accelerated the adoption of automation across the world. 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," said Rajeev Mittal, Regional Director for India and SAARC at Autodesk.

"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," he said.

A-Pac is a diverse region and the challenges facing individual countries when it comes to automation are vastly different.

However, the report points to one common conclusion regardless of geography: automation will create opportunity if the right support mechanisms are put in place and the focus is put squarely on helping workers to succeed.