New Delhi — According to Naukri.com’s June JobSpeak report, hiring for artificial‑intelligence (AI) roles in India grew 16% year‑on‑year, while total information‑technology (IT) recruitment fell 3% over the same period.
The job‑portal’s data, which tracks postings on its platform, shows AI‑related vacancies rose from 6,300 in June 2023 to 7,300 in June 2024. In contrast, overall IT job listings declined from 1.02 million to 990,000, a 3% drop.
Naukri cited “increased demand for AI talent across sectors such as fintech, e‑commerce and health‑tech” as a key driver of the surge. The report also notes that senior‑level AI positions, including data scientists, machine‑learning engineers and AI architects, saw the strongest growth, while entry‑level roles expanded more modestly.
The broader slowdown in IT hiring aligns with reports of cost‑cutting measures by major tech firms and a slowdown in traditional software development projects. Analysts have warned that the sector may be adjusting to tighter capital spending after a period of rapid expansion.
Analysis: The divergent trends suggest a structural shift in India’s tech labour market, with companies prioritising specialised AI capabilities over conventional IT staffing. If the pattern holds, it could reshape university curricula and professional training, pushing more students toward AI‑focused programmes. However, the overall decline in IT jobs may also reflect lingering effects of global economic uncertainty, prompting firms to delay or scale back non‑core hiring. Stakeholders such as the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology may need to monitor these dynamics to ensure that the talent pipeline remains balanced and that workforce displacement does not widen.
Sources
– The Hindu, “AI hiring outpaces overall IT recruitment in India, report shows,” June 2024, https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/ai-hiring-outpaces-overall-it-recruitment-in-india-report-shows/article71181709.ece
Story synopsis gathered from: The Hindu – National — source
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