Now Reading: 197 million Indian workers in jobs vulnerable to AI automation: study
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197 million Indian workers in jobs vulnerable to AI automation: study
197 million Indian workers in jobs vulnerable to AI automation: study
Nearly 197 million Indian workers are in jobs with a high share of routine tasks that could eventually be automated, while around 46 million work in occupations where AI could improve productivity, according to a new study by the Centre for Finance and Economics Research at the Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai. The report, released on Sunday, 11 October 2026, estimates that around 150.5 million workers, or 24.6 per cent of the working-age population, are in occupations exposed to AI.
The study found that Kerala has the highest AI exposure among workers at 42 per cent, followed by Haryana at 37.9 per cent and Tamil Nadu at 32.9 per cent. The report notes that 39.4 per cent of employed people aged 15 to 24 work in jobs with a high share of routine tasks, and the unemployment rate among graduates aged 20 to 29 was more than twice the overall rate in 2025. The authors recommend introducing AI education in schools and providing training to young workers.
Indian Opinion Analysis
ThePrint leads with the total number of workers facing automation risk (197 million) and the unemployment crisis among young graduates, while BusinessLine foregrounds the Chief Economic Advisor’s call for reskilling and the finding that 54.4 per cent of the workforce in agriculture and skilled trades faces low substitution risk. ThePrint omits the CEA’s foreword entirely, and BusinessLine gives less prominence to the scale of routine-task jobs. Both reports agree on the key figures, but their framing differs: one emphasises vulnerability, the other highlights low-risk sectors and official endorsement. The study’s policy recommendations, AI literacy in schools and targeted training for young workers, are common ground. The CEA’s comment that the window for reskilling “is open” is only reported by BusinessLine.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): theprint.in (neutral report), thehindubusinessline.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
