ADB Report on the Future of Work: Mapping Skills and Job Tasks for a Digital World
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure | SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Ministry of Labour & Employment | Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) | National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)
Summary
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Report (December 2025) presents findings from a pilot Jobs and Skills Survey (JSS) designed to capture how labor markets are transforming due to digitalization and AI. The study identifies a global shift from Routine Task Intensity (RTI)—repetitive, predictable work—to nonroutine cognitive work that requires problem-solving and interpersonal skills. The pilot was implemented in Bhutan, Georgia, and the Philippines.
Key strategic insights include:
The Routine-Income Link: High Routine Task Intensity (RTI) is negatively correlated with GDP per capita. Lower-income economies specialize in routine tasks, making them more vulnerable to automation-led job displacement.
Skills Mismatch: Developing economies face significant “skills gaps”—disparities between required and actual worker competencies—which hinder the adoption of advanced technologies like robotics and AI.
Digital Upskilling Trends: Highly educated workers are significantly more likely to engage in technology-related upskilling. However, new technologies often increase work intensity, with many workers simply performing existing tasks at a faster pace rather than transitioning to higher-value roles.
Platform Economy Dynamics: While gig and platform work provide flexibility, they raise persistent concerns regarding job security, social protection, and work-life balance.
Gendered Task Composition: Across pilot regions, women are often concentrated in routine-intensive roles even within similar occupations, increasing their exposure to automation risks.
What is Routine Task Intensity (RTI)? It is a standardized index that measures the relative prevalence of repetitive, rules-based tasks in a job compared to complex, nonroutine tasks. A high RTI score indicates a job that follows explicit procedures—such as data entry or assembly line work—making it highly susceptible to replacement by software algorithms or industrial robots.
Policy Relevance
India stands at a critical juncture where its large workforce must transition from “elementary occupations” to “knowledge-intensive” roles to avoid a productivity trap. While India was not covered in the JSS pilot; the framework aligns with India’s Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 goals of making the workforce “future-ready”.
Strategic Alignments for India:
Automation Resilience: Given India’s significant agricultural and manufacturing base, identifying high-RTI clusters is essential for targeting MSDE’s upskilling and reskilling programs toward nonroutine cognitive tasks.
Bridging the Digital Gap: To support the IndiaAI Mission, the government must move beyond basic digital literacy to focus on advanced cognitive skills (critical thinking, creativity), which the report highlights as the primary safeguard against AI-led displacement.
Institutionalizing Data: India can replicate the ADB pilot by integrating a task-based module into its national surveys to track real-time changes in job quality and technological adaptation across diverse states.
Equitable Growth: Policies must specifically address the gender and education gaps in technology access to ensure that India’s digital transformation does not exacerbate existing socioeconomic disparities.
Follow the full report here: HARNESSING SURVEY DATA TO SHAPE THE FUTURE OF WORK: A DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF JOBS, SKILLS, AND NEW FORMS OF EMPLOYMENT IN BHUTAN, GEORGIA, AND THE PHILIPPINES