As AI becomes central to workforce strategy, Indian employers are prioritising practical, AI-ready skills across both general industries and the technology sector, according to the Indeed–Nasscom report, India’s AI Talent Inflection Point: From Skill Gaps to Competitive Advantage.
The report finds that 86% of employers have seen AI impact job roles and responsibilities, while 35% report significant redefinition or transformation. Nearly all organisations expect their 2026 workforce strategy to centre around AI-related or AI-supported roles, with 40% expecting a major rejig.
Mr. Sashi Kumar, Managing Director, Indeed India said, “AI is no longer limited to specialist technology roles. It is changing how work is designed across industries, and employers are responding by hiring for demonstrable skills, certifications and practical capability. The data shows that India’s opportunity lies not only in building AI talent, but in making AI readiness broader, more accessible and more aligned to real workplace needs. For job seekers, the message is clear: continuous learning, hands-on experience and the ability to work with AI will matter more in 2026.”
Ms. Ketaki Karnik, Head Nasscom Research and Insights said, “The findings of the Indeed-Nasscom report affirm the inflection point India’s talent ecosystem is currently experiencing. As AI profoundly reshapes roles across industries, our collective focus must be on accelerating skilling initiatives to build a future-ready workforce and cement India’s position as a global technology leader. Prioritizing demonstrable AI-ready skills is crucial for converting skill gaps into a competitive advantage.”
Top skills in demand across industries
Across general industries, employers are looking for skills that support AI adoption, implementation and business integration. The top skills in demand are:
- Cloud and infrastructure integration
- Gen AI and LLMs, including prompt engineering
- MLOps and deployment
- Data analytics and visualisation
The report also notes that 63% of employers across industries have seen a year-on-year increase in hiring for AI-related roles, with BFSI and telecommunications leading this shift.
Top AI role categories across industries
Employers are hiring most actively across three AI role categories:
- AI engineering and development
- AI operations and enablement
- Infrastructure and data systems
Top skills in demand in the technology sector
Within the tech industry, AI-integrated roles are seeing growing demand. The top skills for AI roles include:
- AI
- Python
- Machine learning
- Azure
- TensorFlow
For software engineering roles, employers continue to prioritise:
- Agile
- Communication skills
- APIs
- Git
Certifications are becoming hiring signals
The report finds that 40% of employers prefer demonstrable AI skills or certifications over degrees, while another 32% give equal weight to skills, certifications and degrees.
Top certifications required across tech roles include:
- AWS
- Azure
- Salesforce
- Certified Scrum Master
- CISSP
- ITIL Certification
- Java Certification
- ISTQB Certification
- PMP
Internships are becoming an early talent pipeline
India has seen a 103% increase in internship postings over the past three years, reflecting stronger employer focus on hands-on learning and early talent development.
Top skills for internships include:
- Communication skills
- English proficiency
- Keyword research
- Analytical skills
- SEO expertise
- Microsoft Excel
- Python programming
- Microsoft Office proficiency
- HTML
- JavaScript
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