The Future of Work - Automation Displacement
Automation & Job Displacement — Accenture
As automation and AI began to materially reshape labour markets, Accenture launched a global research programme to better understand the human impact of job displacement, particularly for low-income workers most at risk of being left behind.
I contributed to this work as part of a multidisciplinary team spanning research, design, and strategy, helping explore how people experience the threat of automation and how organisations can design more accessible, trustworthy pathways to reskilling.
The Challenge
While automation promised efficiency and growth, its impact was unevenly distributed. Many workers faced job loss with limited visibility into reskilling opportunities, low confidence in unfamiliar digital systems, and fragmented access to support.
The challenge was not simply identifying new skills, but understanding how fear, trust, access, and context shape people’s ability to engage with reskilling programmes, particularly in vulnerable communities.
The Approach
The research programme was structured across three parallel streams in the UK, US, and India, enabling comparative insight across different economic, cultural, and labour-market contexts. I conducted in-depth qualitative field research in India, working directly with participants experiencing heightened exposure to automation-driven job displacement. These insights were synthesised alongside findings from the UK and US to identify both shared patterns and context-specific barriers to reskilling.
Given the global scope of the initiative, the work involved close collaboration with stakeholders across Accenture, including regional research teams, industry specialists, and programme leads. This required careful alignment around research questions, ethical considerations, and how insights would be translated into actionable initiatives at scale.
Due to the sensitivity of participant data and internal strategy, specific system designs and individual narratives are intentionally abstracted.
Outcomes
Research insights informed a global pipeline of initiatives focused on faster, more accessible reskilling pathways
Findings shaped Accenture’s workforce transformation and reskilling roadmaps across multiple regions
Outputs included research reports, microsites, and short-form content designed to make reskilling opportunities clearer and more approachable for affected workers
The work supported cross-regional alignment on how to communicate automation risk and opportunity responsibly
Why It Matters
Automation-driven job displacement is not only a technical or economic issue, but a trust, access, and dignity challenge. Without thoughtful design, even well-intentioned AI-driven change can deepen inequality and exclusion.
This project reinforced the importance of approaching AI and automation through a human-centred lens, designing interventions that account for vulnerability, cultural context, and power imbalance. It continues to shape how I approach responsible AI, Trust & Safety–adjacent work, and the design of systems that have real social impact.
