Employees with in-demand artificial intelligence (AI) skills are poised to see significant salary increases in India, particularly in the technology, GCC, and BFSI sectors, as companies prioritise AI capabilities.
As organisations increasingly recognise that artificial intelligence boosts productivity, employees using AI are likely to gain an edge in increments over the next 2-3 years, particularly in sectors such as technology, GCCs and BFSI, TeamLease Edtech founder and CEO Shantanu Rooj said.
Companies in India are no longer treating AI skills as optional experimentation - they are moving into the core capability stack, Rooj told PTI.
"Recent employer and workforce studies show that 92 per cent of Indian knowledge workers already use AI at work, and 80 per cent of leaders in India say they would prefer a less experienced candidate with AI skills over a more experienced one without them," he stated.
At the same time, Rooj said national industry estimates suggest India's demand for AI professionals could cross 1 million by 2026, which means companies are now thinking about AI not just as a tool, but as a workforce strategy.
"Organisations are set to increasingly move toward AI-influenced appraisal and career progression frameworks, especially in digitally intensive functions. Just to re-emphasise, recent worldwide studies already show that generative AI can affect activities that account for 60-70 per cent of work time, with nearly 75 per cent of the value concentration sitting in customer operations, marketing and sales, software engineering, and research and development," Rooj told PTI.
In practical terms, he said, it means roles such as software developers, QA engineers, data and BI analysts, digital marketers, inside sales teams, customer support, compliance operations, finance operations, HR operations, and research-heavy roles are likely to see the fastest appraisal shifts, because performance can now be measured not only by output, but by how effectively AI improves speed, quality, and decision-making.
"Over the next 2 to 3 years, the impact is likely to become material for roughly 25-40 per cent of white-collar roles, with the higher end more visible in technology, Global Capability Centres (GCCs), BFSI (Banking, Financial Services and Insurance), consulting, healthcare, e-commerce, and advanced manufacturing," he added.
Rooj further said that in view of the recent global employer surveys around two-thirds of employers plan to hire for AI-specific skills, 39 per cent of core skills are expected to change by 2030, and approximately 40 per cent of employers expect further workforce reduction where AI can automate tasks.
"Therefore, the reality will become widespread, but unevenly - first in high-skill, high-digitisation sectors, and then across broader enterprise functions as AI moves from pilot projects to operating model redesign," he said.
So yes, hiring patterns will change - but the bigger story is that organisations will hire more selectively for higher-value capability, which makes upskilling and role readiness far more important than before, added Rooj.