GenAI and the Future of Work in India: Mapping Sectoral and Occupational Exposure

This research article examines how Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is changing India's employment landscape. Using Periodic Labour Force Survey data (2023–24) and exposure indices from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), workers’ occupations or job roles are categorised into three types of exposure levels: (i) manual; (ii) augmentable; and (iii) automation. The findings indicate that over three-fourths (76.9 per cent) of workers are engaged in manual roles, which are largely isolated from GenAI, while one-fifth (20.2 per cent) are involved in augmentable roles, and 2.9 per cent are in roles with high automation potential. In particular, roles with high automation potential are concentrated among urban, educated, and male workers, whereas manual roles are predominant among women, rural, and informal workers. Across sectors, the most augmentable job roles are found in public administration, health and education, while finance, business services, and communication have the most replaceable job roles. The agriculture and construction sectors account for the most manual job roles. It is noteworthy that some seemingly manual roles, such as data entry, scheduling, record keeping and other clerical work, are at risk of automation or displacement. Conversely, a large proportion of high-skilled jobs are augmentable rather than replaceable. These developments suggest a gradual integration and a shift towards augmentable roles in India's labour market, rather than a sudden disruption due to GenAI.