Era of software and MBA is over: CEA

Published 16 June 2026 · tech

Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran has called for a shift in India's approach to employment and education, saying the era that favoured software jobs

Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran has called for a shift in India's approach to employment and education, saying the era that favoured software jobs and MBA degrees is coming to an end and that the country must place greater value on trade skills such as welding, plumbing, electrical work and carpentry.Speaking to ANI, Nageswaran said India has historically failed to accord dignity and respect to skilled manual professions, unlike countries such as Switzerland, Germany, Japan, South Korea and China, where vocational trades enjoy social prestige and are seen as critical to economic success."In this country, we give them little respect.

If you are a welder, a plumber, an electrician, and a carpenter, etc., India doesn't consider [them]... We kind of made it unacceptable, unrespectable, and unfashionable. I think that needs to change," he said.Nageswaran argued that technological advances and artificial intelligence are reshaping the labour market, making trade skills and human-centric professions increasingly valuable."The technological advance cannot take away your employability. So you should equip yourself with trade skills. The globalising world gave us an advantage for our software, computer science or MBA education. But that era is over. It's about trade skills. It's about soft skills, which AI cannot easily replace, where human presence is required," he said.The Chief Economic Advisor said India must tackle both unemployment and unemployability simultaneously by creating opportunities in sectors that remain labour-intensive and are less vulnerable to automation.According to him, significant employment potential exists in manufacturing as well as services such as caregiving, culinary arts, hospital support, sports education, elder care and counselling for children with special needs."In all these areas, the world needs qualified and trained people, not just India.

Those are all the areas which will not be impacted by AI. We need to create employability in these areas," he said.Nageswaran's remarks come amid growing concerns over the impact of AI on white-collar jobs and the changing nature of work globally. He noted that while India benefited enormously from the

globalisation-driven boom in services exports, the world is becoming increasingly fragmented, making it necessary for the country to strengthen its manufacturing base and workforce skills.He also described unemployment as fundamentally a "livelihood problem", arguing that India's future employment strategy must balance industrial competitiveness with large-scale skill development in trades and people-centric professions.