The End of 9-to-5? Saurabh Mukherjea Predicts Decline of Salaried Jobs in the AI Era
Saurabh Mukherjea, Founder and CIO of Marcellus Investment Managers, has delivered a direct message: the era of the Indian salaryman is coming to a close.
In a recent podcast titled Beyond the Paycheck: India’s Entrepreneurial Rebirth, Mukherjea stated that salaried jobs are losing relevance, especially for the educated and ambitious.
He believes India has entered a new economic phase where the reliability of white-collar employment is eroding under the weight of AI and a vanishing middle-management layer.
“The defining flavour of this decade will be the death of salaried employment as a worthwhile avenue for educated, determined, hardworking people,” he explained.
According to Mukherjea, automation and artificial intelligence are reshaping industries such as IT, media, and finance, rendering many traditional office jobs obsolete.
AI Is Taking Over
Mukherjea pointed out that companies worldwide are already integrating AI deeply into daily operations.
“Google says a third of its coding is already done by AI. The same is coming for Indian IT, media, and finance,” he noted. This shift is gradually replacing mid-level supervisory roles and the stability once associated with long-term employment.
He added, “The old model where our parents worked 30 years for one organisation is dying. The job construct that built India’s middle class is no longer sustainable.”
As roles shrink, many who followed the conventional path of education followed by employment may find their options diminishing.
A Cultural Wake-Up Call
This transformation calls for not just economic adaptation, but also a cultural one. Mukherjea believes Indian society’s deep-rooted obsession with job security and monthly paychecks must change.
“We’re a money-obsessed society. We define success by paychecks. That has to change,” he said.
He urged families to rethink their expectations: “Families like yours and mine must stop preparing kids to be job-seekers. The jobs won’t be there.” The pressure to pursue coaching, corporate careers, and stable roles is no longer realistic or sustainable, he stressed.
The JAM Trinity: A Foundation for Entrepreneurship
Amid these concerns, Mukherjea pointed to hope—through India’s digital infrastructure and policy initiatives.
He emphasised the transformative impact of the JAM Trinity: Jandhan (banking access), Aadhaar (identity), and Mobile (digital connectivity). These elements, he said, have made it possible for people across income levels to participate in the economy more directly.
“The Centre has spent considerable resources on getting JAM right,” he said.
With these tools, Mukherjea envisions a future driven by entrepreneurship, where individuals take charge of their financial futures rather than rely on vanishing job markets. “If applied with the same intellect and grit we brought to corporate careers, entrepreneurship can be the new engine of prosperity,” he added.
Time to Build, Not Just Earn
Mukherjea’s call is not one of despair, but of action.
He believes Indians must shift from paycheck-chasing to purpose-building. He underlined that the goal should no longer be just income, but impact and happiness. “We should be solving for happiness and impact—not just monthly income,” he remarked.
The model that worked for previous generations—loyalty to one employer, a steady rise in ranks, and eventual retirement benefits—is crumbling. Today’s workforce must prepare to adapt, innovate, and build their own paths.
A Challenge and an Opportunity
Mukherjea’s prediction may be hard to digest for a society long conditioned to equate success with a secure job.
Yet, he sees this moment as one of enormous potential. With the right mindset, education, and risk appetite, he believes India can produce a generation of micro-entrepreneurs and innovators.
In his vision, the next chapter of India’s growth will not be written in boardrooms but by individuals using technology, identity, and connectivity to create independent businesses.
The challenge lies not in the tools—those are already in place—but in shifting collective thinking toward a more entrepreneurial future.
