New Delhi — Concerns over artificial intelligence adoption, cybersecurity awareness and employee skills gaps are emerging as major workplace risks for Indian companies, according to a new report by Marsh.
The report said 49 percent of Indian organizations are worried about investing in artificial intelligence without adequate employee training, while 52 percent identified weak cyber threat literacy as a major people-related risk.
Benefits inflation was ranked as the top people risk in India, with 65 percent of HR and risk professionals expecting health and benefit costs to rise over the next one to two years.
The report said technology disruption, economic pressure and shifting talent dynamics are reshaping the enterprise risk landscape. Companies and employees are operating amid sustained uncertainty driven by rapid AI adoption and a deepening talent crunch, it added.
Marsh said the findings were based on responses from more than 4,500 HR and risk professionals across 26 markets, including 311 participants from India.
In India, workforce-related vulnerabilities are directly affecting organizational resilience and business performance, the report said.
About 96 percent of employees trust their employers to provide access to affordable, quality healthcare, while 54 percent depend on their employer for medical coverage.
However, the report found gaps in how companies make benefits decisions. About 41 percent of respondents said benefit decisions are made without considering long-term cost impact, while 40 percent said such decisions are made without adequately considering the health and financial impact on employees.
Labor shortages were the top concern for HR professionals in India and ranked as the fourth overall risk in the country, according to the report.
Inadequate supervisory and leadership skills emerged as India’s strongest risk multiplier. About 62 percent of respondents said weak leadership would have a catastrophic or high impact on organizations.
The report also found that lack of transparency, fairness and inclusion featured among India’s top five risks, ranking more prominently than in the global results. (Source: IANS)
