AI won't trigger job cuts, it will automate manual jobs: Sr VP, HCL Tech

Subbaraman Balasubramanyan, former chairperson of the Madurai CII Chapter and senior vice president at HCL Technologies, in conversation with The Federal on the sidelines of the Salem CII Summit, shared his insights on the rapidly-changing landscape of India’s tech industry, touching on artificial intelligence (AI), talent acquisition, and skills development.

Dual impact of AI on India’s IT sector

Balasubramanyan highlighted the dual impact of AI on India’s IT sector. He first emphasised that while AI will automate many lower-end, manual jobs, this shift won't result in job losses. Instead, it will create opportunities for workers to move into more strategic, higher-value roles.

“AI will handle the repetitive tasks, but it doesn’t mean people will go away,” Balasubramanyan explained. "It opens up opportunities for people to take on more impactful, creative jobs."

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He discussed the role AI could play within organisations, automating processes that currently rely on human intervention. This would reduce inefficiencies and free employees to focus on more high-value work. Balasubramanyan urged companies and workers alike to focus on continuous upskilling to stay ahead of the curve.

‘Talent pool not limited to urban centres’

Another key point of the discussion was the importance of decentralising talent acquisition. Balasubramanyan stressed that India’s talent pool is not limited to large urban centres and that companies should look beyond big cities to tap into the growing workforce in tier-2 and tier-3 locations.

“The more federated your operations are, the more successful you’ll be,” he said. “Much of India’s top talent comes from smaller towns, so companies should go to where the talent is.”

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This approach, he argued, would not only expand the talent pool but also help ease the pressure on cities already saturated with competition.

‘Shift from degree-based to skills-based’

On addressing India’s growing skills gap, Balasubramanyan called for a shift from degree-based education to skills-based training.

"Skills-first, degrees-second," he asserted, noting that India’s education system should focus on practical, industry-relevant skills rather than just academic qualifications.

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Balasubramanyan highlighted HCL Tech B, a programme designed to train high school graduates in the specific technical skills required by the company. After a year of training, participants are offered full-time positions at HCL and enrolled in higher education programmes. This initiative, he explained, bridges the gap between education and industry demands.

Work-life balance

Finally, when asked for his opinion on the growing conversation about work-life balance in the tech sector, he stated that he would like to work as much as possible.