Quess Corp released a comprehensive report, ‘Decoding the AI Talent Landscape in India,’ offering deep, data-driven insights into the country’s fast-evolving AI talent ecosystem.
The study reveals that India’s AI talent pool has reached 416,000 professionals, but with a 51% demand-supply gap, indicating towards an urgent need to build future-ready capabilities. AI hiring has expanded 8X since 2017, marking a clear shift from generalist roles to capability-aligned hiring. Job descriptions increasingly emphasize stack fluency, production-readiness, and tool-specific proficiency—reflecting the enterprise move from experimentation to scaled deployment.
Key Findings from the Report:
AI Salary Surge: Entry-level professionals earn ₹8–12 LPA, while specialists in NLP and GenAI with 5–8 years of experience command ₹25–35 LPA. Senior professionals are drawing ₹45 LPA+ in product firms and GCCs.
BFSI leads AI Hiring: The BFSI sector accounts for 24% of the total AI demand in India, followed by IT Services, and Healthcare.
Roles in Demand: Data Scientists, ML Engineers, AI Developers, and AI Researchers top the hiring charts. Demand is also rising for AI Product Managers and Business Analysts who can translate models into business impact.
Skills that Win: Python remains the dominant language, alongside frameworks like TensorFlow, PyTorch, and Keras. In-demand skills include NLP, computer vision, Generative AI, cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP), and MLOps.
While Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, and Hyderabad anchor India’s GenAI hiring, emerging Tier-2 cities now contribute 14–16% of total AI demand. Kochi, Ahmedabad, and Coimbatore alone account for 70% of this Tier-2 momentum, highlighting the rise of distributed AI talent hubs beyond the metros.GCCs drive GenAI Demand: Global Capability Centers (GCCs) account for 23% of India’s AI hiring, playing a pivotal role in shaping India’s GenAI-ready workforce.
“The emergence of AI isn’t just a talent shift — it’s a generational opportunity,” said Kapil Joshi, CEO – Quess IT Staffing. “Between March 2024 and March 2025, demand for AI and Data talent in India surged by nearly 45%. In emerging fields like GenAI engineering, there’s just one qualified professional for every ten open roles — a gap that signals not just a hiring challenge, but a strategic one. India has the scale, capability, and potential to lead the global AI revolution. But to truly seize this moment, businesses, educators, and policymakers must act with urgency. This report is our contribution towards aligning talent priorities with strategy in a GenAI-driven world.”
The report calls for strategic academia-industry partnerships, tailored upskilling programs, and bold policy interventions to equip India’s workforce for the AI-driven future. With its massive youth population and deep-rooted tech capabilities, India is uniquely positioned to become a global AI talent powerhouse — but the ecosystem must act swiftly to overcome current challenges. The full report, ‘Decoding the AI Talent Landscape in India,’ is available for download at (Link to the report)
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