AI engineering job postings in India have increased by 59.5% year-on-year, surpassing growth rates in the US, UK, France, and Germany. Bengaluru and Hyderabad continue to lead in AI hiring, with Vijayawada also emerging as a city witnessing growth in this sector. Hyderabad experienced a 51% increase, and Vijayawada saw a 45.5% rise in AI engineering hiring.
The demand for AI skills is rising among Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs) in India, with AI Agents, AI Productivity, and Azure AI Studio being the fastest-growing skills. Industries like manufacturing are emphasizing AI Agents and AI Prompting as essential skills to enhance employability. Large enterprises are at the forefront of employing AI talent, focusing on infrastructure, governance, and large-scale deployment.
AI talent supply is expanding across various industries as AI adoption deepens. In the manufacturing sector, AI engineering talent has grown significantly, reaching 2% of the workforce by 2025. Malai Lakshmanan, Head of LinkedIn India Engineering, highlighted the importance of practical AI skills for engineers, emphasizing the need to integrate AI into daily workflows for real-world applications. Lakshmanan encouraged engineers to develop skills in AI tools, data, and problem-solving to capitalize on the growing AI opportunities.
