Post Date : 8-Feb-2026

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📘 Knowledge Drop-117

Education to Employment and Enterprise: Standing Committee on AI and Jobs

Syllabus: GS3 / Science & Technology / Economy

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📌 Context

In her Budget Speech, the Union Finance Minister announced the formation of a high-level ‘Education to Employment and Enterprise’ Standing Committee to recommend measures with a special focus on the services sector, particularly in the context of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies.

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🏛️ Mandate of the High-Level Standing Committee

As per Budget documents, the Committee will:

• Identify services sub-sectors with high potential for growth, employment, and exports.
• Assess the impact of emerging technologies, including AI, on jobs and skill requirements.
• Propose measures to embed AI in the education curriculum from school level onwards and upgrade SCERTs for teacher training.
• Recommend steps to make the informal workforce visible, verifiable, and future-ready, improving upward mobility.
• Suggest measures to attract skilled diaspora and foreign talent into India.

The Committee thus seeks to create a systemic bridge between education, employability, and enterprise in the age of AI.

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❓ Why is Such a Committee Needed?

• Job Losses due to Automation: AI-driven automation is raising concerns of job displacement across sectors, with enterprises increasingly replacing routine human tasks with machines and algorithms.
• Need for Sectoral Mapping: The Economic Survey 2025–26 highlighted the need for comprehensive mapping of jobs outside the white-collar workspace, especially in high-skill but understaffed segments that can generate new employment.
• Managing AI-Driven Disruption: Policy reforms are required to mitigate risks of AI on existing jobs while preparing the workforce for new roles.

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🤖 Impact of AI on Jobs in India

• Most Vulnerable Roles:
  • Routine and repetitive jobs in BPO/customer service, basic clerical work, assembly lines, and logistics are increasingly automated.
  • Traditional mid-skill jobs, which once provided stable employment, are being squeezed by automation.
• IT and Outsourcing Sector:
  • AI tools are now handling coding, testing, and support functions, contributing to workforce restructuring in major IT and outsourcing firms.

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🌱 Emerging Opportunities in the AI Era

• New job categories are expanding rapidly, including:
  • AI/ML engineers
  • Data scientists and analysts
  • Cloud architects
  • Cybersecurity specialists
  • AI product managers and prompt engineers
• These roles typically offer higher wages and strong demand.
• Forecasts suggest around 4.7 million AI and tech roles could emerge in India by 2027.
• Shift in Skill Demands:
  • About 38% of India’s workforce could see changes in skill requirements by 2030, the highest among BRICS countries.
  • Employers are increasingly prioritising technology skills, analytical ability, and adaptability over traditional academic credentials.

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🧭 Way Ahead

• Upskilling and Reskilling:
  • India needs large-scale reskilling; estimates suggest over 16 million workers may need reskilling in AI and automation by 2027.
• Government and Industry Initiatives:
  • National strategies and partnerships are focusing on equipping students and workers with AI and digital skills.
  • Large-scale corporate skill-building programmes are underway to boost workforce readiness.

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🏗️ Key Government Initiatives on AI and Skills

• FutureSkills PRIME: A MeitY–NASSCOM initiative for reskilling/upskilling in 10 emerging technologies including AI.
• Skill India Mission: Now includes AI and tech components, linking vocational pathways with future employability.
• NCVET’s National Programme on Artificial Intelligence (NPAI): Provides a national skilling framework for AI, data science, and emerging technologies.
• SOAR (Skilling for AI Readiness): Launched by MSDE to embed AI awareness among school students (Classes 6–12) and improve AI literacy among teachers.
• DGT Partnerships: Collaborations with IBM, Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe, AWS and others for CSR-based skilling initiatives.
• Sector Skill Councils (SSCs): Co-develop industry-aligned curricula and conduct Training of Trainers, with support for apprenticeships and internships in AI, robotics, and climate tech.

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🏁 Conclusion

While several traditional roles will decline or transform, AI is also opening a wide landscape of new, high-value opportunities. The transition demands coordinated action by government, industry, and educational institutions to ensure India’s workforce is future-ready. The proposed Standing Committee represents a crucial step towards aligning education, employment, and enterprise in the era of intelligent technologies.

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