Why the next wave of layoffs might not be in offices but on streets
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While artificial intelligence (AI) replacing white-collar jobs is widely talked about, what often goes unnoticed is how AI-driven automation threatens workers like Kumar, part of India's 12-million-strong gig workforce, which is also vulnerable.
By Isa Isawade
In a thought-provoking report published by the India Today on Sunday, Anand Singh tries to call attention of the public to a scary future which stares us all in the face.
It’s about the threat of layoffs that is imminent for the working category of people whose jobs are on the streets- dispatch services.
According to him, drones are being used for deliveries in Gurgaon and Bengaluru and Amazon is trying out AI automation at its warehouses.
He wonders whether the over 12 million people in India’s gig economy are aware of the doom that awaits them.
“From millions of additions to the workforce to automation, India’s gig economy is set for an upheaval. Will that be the end of the road for the millions who are always on the move but never move up?” Singh asks.
He cites an instance of a delivery partner with Blinkit in Noida, Ankur Kumar, who works a minimum of 12 hours a day, six days a week. According to him, on days when Kumar still has energy left, his work stretches to 15 hours.
“Kumar is unaware though that just 50 km away, in Gurgaon, drones are now delivering the same groceries and medicines he does—faster, and at a much cheaper rate,” he quips.
He adds that, “On most days, the odometer on Kumar’s two-wheeler clocks between 100 and 180 km. For each delivery, he earns a base pay of Rs 15 for a trip within a km, and Rs 10-14 for every extra km. Reports suggest drones are doing the same work for just Rs 4 a km.
While artificial intelligence (AI) replacing white-collar jobs is widely talked about, what often goes unnoticed is how AI-driven automation threatens workers like Kumar, part of India’s 12-million-strong gig workforce, which is also vulnerable.”
The writer avers that the proverbial meteor that killed the dinosaurs is lurking in the air for India’s unskilled gig workers.
He notes that Amazon has begun automating warehouse operations in the US to reduce staff strength—a shift likely to reach India in over a decade.
“From delivery partners to dark store workers, millions of low-skill roles are vulnerable,” he postulates.
The threat highlighted is not only going to happen to the Indians, the primary targets of the information, but also to the rest of the world.
We should all brace up for the inevitable.
The informative article continues on INDIA TODAY
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