Now Reading: Nilekani Says Small Businesses Will Drive India’s Future Job Growth
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Nilekani Says Small Businesses Will Drive India’s Future Job Growth
Nilekani Says Small Businesses Will Drive India’s Future Job Growth
Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani has said large Indian companies could become net job losers as artificial intelligence and automation reduce tasks and roles. Speaking at the NCAER India Policy Forum 2026, he…
The Story in Brief
Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani has said large Indian companies could become net job losers as artificial intelligence and automation reduce tasks and roles. Speaking at the NCAER India Policy Forum 2026, he argued that millions of small businesses will create more employment because they are harder to automate. Rediff, citing PTI, reports that Nilekani expects India’s startup count to rise from about 1.5 lakh today to one million by 2035.
Nilekani called for deregulation, simpler business systems and easier access to finance and markets. He cited the RBI’s Account Aggregator and the Open Network for Digital Commerce. He also backed portable benefits and credentials as workers change jobs more often in a growing gig economy.
The Indian Opinion
Claims that AI will wipe out corporate work overnight are as sweeping as the belief that startups alone can absorb India’s workforce. Nilekani offers a useful direction, but his forecast is not a jobs count and small firms also face credit, compliance and survival pressures. The real test will be whether the projected one million startups produce stable livelihoods, not merely registrations, and whether portable benefits reach gig workers in practice.
Source: rediff.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
