As IBM, Microsoft, Google slash jobs—India’s young workforce fears it’s next

This week, IBM joined the growing list of global corporations laying off employees, allegedly due to the rise of Artificial Intelligence. According to multiple reports, the tech giant cut around 8,000 jobs worldwide, primarily in its human resources department. This comes on the heels of similar moves by Microsoft, which laid off 6,000 people, and Alphabet, which cut 12,000 jobs globally.

The signs of AI disrupting the job market have been visible for some time, and things are only snowballing. In its Future of Jobs report released earlier this year, the World Economic Forum projected that 83 million jobs could be lost globally by 2027 due to AI, while only 69 million new ones would be created. 

The report specifically spotlighted India's aggressive push into automation. “Companies operating in the country are heavily investing in AI, robotics, autonomous systems, and energy technologies,” the report stated, adding that 35% of Indian employers surveyed expect semiconductors and computing technologies to transform their operations. Just over 1 in 5 expect quantum computing and encryption to do the same.

Given this backdrop, it's no surprise that India’s younger workforce is an anxious lot. According to Deloitte’s Global 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, 73% of Gen Zs and 78% of millennials believe AI could eliminate their jobs. This is already affecting career choices, with 78% of Gen Z respondents and 86% of millennials said they would actively look for jobs that are less vulnerable to automation. Tellingly, all respondents reported using generative AI tools in some capacity.