What is the Impact of Drones on the Job Market?

If you asked someone in the 19^th century what a drone is, they would point you to a flying insect, a male honeybee, to be exact. And you would think them wrong only if you were a time traveler. It was only in the 1930s, through the work of Abraham Karem, that the idea of ‘drone’ as an unmanned aerial vehicle really took off (pun intended)!

What is a Drone?

A drone is a remote-controlled, unmanned aircraft, generally of a very small size. They serve a wide range of applications, including filming and emergency response. They are now finding wide use in the construction business because of their ability to survey large plots and buildings and give exact alerts on any events that need attention, even in hard-to-reach areas. They also help prevent harmful accidents on construction sites and improve safety.

How Big is the Drone Market?

The global market size for commercial drones was 30 billion USD in 2022. Between 2023 and 2030, it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 38%. The business cases for drones have rapidly grown in the past few years. Drone manufacturers, software solution providers, and testers are continually working to upgrade and improve the functioning of drones, and with it increase their scope of work.

What is the Impact of Drones on the Job Market?

Drones will create a lot of jobs across sectors in the years to come. They have also already improved the effectiveness of human intervention in several jobs, such as enabling fire and rescue teams to survey buildings before a rescue, mining crews to adjudge how deep they must go, and crime investigators to survey a crime scene for clues that may prove vital. The new jobs that we can expect to be created around drone technology are:

1. Jobs in Manufacturing

Technological advancements in electronics, such as modern computing, microcontrollers, processors, mobile hardware, and cameras, have streamlined the drone product portfolio.  A single drone requires at least 16 components, each part probably being manufactured by a different company. This brings together manufacturing companies across the electronics industry and will create millions of jobs when the industry takes off in India.

2. Jobs in Drone Sales and Marketing

Drone sales and marketing will also take off. There will be hundreds of types of drones depending on the application, size of payload, the line of sight, etc. There will not only be a lot of new products that will need greater sales and marketing efforts, but also the marketing and sales teams will need to bring in new people who are well-versed in drone technology and can market and sell them to businesses and consumers.

3. Jobs in Data Entry

The enormous amount of data that is collected by drones needs to be entered into the system. Data entry operators need to be vigilant while entering the data, and there will be people to manage the data entry and verify it also. This will again create millions of new jobs in the data entry field.

4. Jobs in Software Engineering

Jobs in software engineering will be created for drone programmers. In drone programming, the drone is situationally and self-aware. It can fly and fulfil last-mile deliveries without any human intervention. It is capable of decision-making, thanks to having an AI of its own. When drones become popular, it will create thousands of jobs in drone programming worldwide. Apart from autonomous drones, regular drones also require an interface that the drone operator can use to steer the drone past obstacles.

5. Jobs in AI

These developments allow companies to design and construct measurement and annotation tools for estimating area, volume, and distance. As a result, organizations worldwide are constantly adopting artificial and machine learning solutions to retrieve accurate findings from a pile of information and data gathered from millions of data points. This will create a lot of jobs in AI and ML. It will also create jobs in computer vision to enable drones to become smarter over time, recognizing obstacles or understanding the depth and location of objects in their path a lot more accurately in a lot less time.

6. Jobs in Drone Video and Photography

Photographers and videographers can use drones to shoot photos and videos. They can get perspectives one could barely imagine in the past, the freedom to shoot without a tripod or stand, and as cameras get smaller, even smaller drones would be able to assist with photography. It’s so popular that the new job is referred to as a drone photographer or drone videographer. This will bring newfound interest and will enable jobs for anyone who has an interest or knowledge about how to operate a drone.

7. Jobs in Drone Navigation

Jobs like piloting a drone or transporting using a drone will be in high demand when transport networks start using drones extensively.  Drone pilots will be well-versed in operating drones and retrieving them in hard-to-find scenarios, making this quite a competitive job. They may have knowledge of programming as well and familiarity with the software used to pilot the drone. They can also manage delivery using these drones.

8. Jobs in Computer-Aided Design

Computer-aided design is becoming AI-driven and increasingly empowering for the design process. Complex circuits and devices are designed in a matter of hours. A drone could be designed just as fast, but we really need engineers with expertise on the type of drone, the use of the drone, and how fast it must travel to ensure that it is on time to design them properly. This calls for good knowledge of the sciences as well as the ability to use the tools to design a drone.

9. Jobs in Drone Integration and Testing

As an integration and testing engineer in drone technology, you will be responsible for the initial assembly, integration, and testing of drones. You will also need to be familiar with the use case for which the drone is being deployed. You also need to be familiar with how to integrate sensors, payloads, and other electronic components to build a drone. You need to develop SOPs, manuals, and guides for the drones as well.

10. Jobs in Digital GIS Surveys and Mapping

GIS information that previously required the use of satellites flying at a height can today be accomplished by low-flying drones. Drones can be used for surveys of buildings, reaching even areas where personnel cannot go to obtain an accurate result. They can be used for GIS surveys as well, where the drone cameras will be integrated with GIS (global information systems)

11. Jobs in Drone Repair and Maintenance

Drones, being a new kind of technology, will need a specialized repair service and maintenance crew, too. They will need to be monitored regularly for both hardware and software-related issues. They can help repair gimbals, replace control boards, correct GPS and software-related issues as well, and even perform alignment and calibration.

Closing Words

Drones are impacting our lives in ways we could not have imagined even a decade ago. They have become an integral part of our lives, so much saw that several new laws and regulations have come into effect to monitor how they are manufactured, used, and sold. India too is inviting entrepreneurs to enter the drone space and build drone applications that will further the good of our country, its people, and mankind. The future of drones is as limitless as the sky, and every new opportunity it creates in the job market is just as limitless in scope but most welcome.

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Rajkumar Shanmugam

Head of HR

Rajkumar Shanmugam is the Head of HR at ALP Consulting, bringing over 19 years of comprehensive HR leadership experience across India and international markets. His expertise spans talent acquisition, employee relations, performance management, compliance, and HR transformation. Rajkumar has a proven track record of driving people-centric initiatives, enhancing workplace culture, and aligning HR strategy with business goals. With extensive experience in US staffing operations and global mobility, he continues to lead organizational excellence through innovation and employee engagement.