India recorded nearly 3.5 lakh artificial intelligence-related job openings in the last 90 days, underscoring the growing demand for AI talent despite ongoing concerns about the technology’s impact on employment, according to a report by Quess Corp.
The report estimates that India currently has an AI workforce of around 9.2 lakh professionals, making it one of the largest AI talent hubs globally. However, hiring demand continues to exceed the available supply, particularly for specialised roles that require hands-on experience in deploying AI solutions at scale.
A key finding of the report is the widening gap between demand and availability of core AI talent. While India has a sizeable AI workforce, only about 2.57 lakh professionals are engaged in advanced areas such as large language models (LLMs), machine learning, natural language processing and agentic AI. At the same time, nearly 70 per cent of current hiring demand is concentrated in these specialised domains.
The shortage is particularly visible in emerging AI segments. Roles related to generative AI and prompt engineering face one of the largest talent gaps, followed by AI deployment engineering and AI governance positions. Companies are increasingly seeking professionals who can move AI projects from experimentation to real-world implementation.
Agentic AI has emerged as one of the fastest-growing hiring categories. Demand for agentic AI developers has surged sharply over the past year, alongside strong growth in hiring for AI software engineers and professionals working on model context protocol (MCP) systems.
The report also highlights a shift in employer preferences towards experienced talent. Nearly half of all AI-related vacancies are concentrated in the three-to-five-year experience bracket, reflecting the industry’s focus on deployment-ready professionals. At the same time, demand for freshers in the broader technology sector has declined significantly compared to a year ago.
AI hiring is no longer limited to technology functions. Of the total openings, around 1.2 lakh roles were created in non-technology areas such as sales, marketing, operations and finance. Organisations are increasingly recruiting domain experts who can integrate AI into business processes, automate workflows and improve operational efficiency.
While automation is expected to transform several workplace functions, the report suggests that AI is reshaping jobs rather than eliminating them. As adoption expands, organisations are focusing on building AI-enabled workforces capable of combining technical expertise with business knowledge.
