Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on the jobs that will define India’s future

With half of its population under 25 and the unemployment rate at four-decade high, India faces an uncertain future. The question on young people’s minds: what kinds of jobs will we have? Quartz asked leaders across India’s biggest industries about that one job in their company or field that will be the most crucial in the coming decades.

Healthcare has become one of the largest sectors in India in terms of employment and revenue. According to the Public Health Foundation of India, the country employs approximately 20 health workers per 10,000 people. However, restricted to qualified providers, the number of practitioners falls to about half of WHO norm of 24.5 per 10,000 population. Rising incomes, general health awareness, and better access to health insurance would be major catalysts for the sector’s growth. India is also the largest provider of generic drugs in the world.

I believe the Chief Digital Transformation Officer will have a crucial role to play in the future. He or she will be responsible for driving the integration of digital technology into all areas of a business, which would fundamentally change how we operate while creating value for our shareholders. Using data and technology, the person in this role will work to change the company’s operating model to drive innovation, make data-driven decisions, and eliminate operational efficiencies.

A robust digital transformation strategy should be able to generate useful insights through advanced analytics, helping the company to change for the better by getting rid of flawed organizational practices. The technology solutions and digital initiatives can not only make the entire company faster and more agile, but it can also help better meet customer needs by reducing production lead times, improving the global supply chain, and helping innovations come to market more quickly. Digital transformation aligned with business strategy can lead to better growth and higher impact.