AI hiring surges 16% in India amid IT recruitment decline, TechGig

Hiring for artificial intelligence (AI) roles in India‘s information technology (IT) sector saw a significant increase of 16% year-on-year in June, according to Naukri‘s monthly JobSpeak report.

This growth occurs against a backdrop of a 3% decline in overall IT recruitment, indicating a shift in hiring priorities as companies focus on acquiring specialized AI talent. The report analyzed job listings from over 150,000 companies on the recruitment platform.

India’s IT industry, valued at $315 billion, is currently grappling with reduced technology spending from clients amid a challenging macroeconomic environment. However, the rapid adoption of AI technologies is transforming traditional business models within the sector.

Hitesh Oberoi, CEO of Info Edge, which operates Naukri, noted that the disparity between AI hiring and overall IT recruitment reflects where companies are continuing to invest. He emphasized that AI is becoming a core capability, with demand increasingly centered on experienced and specialized professionals.

The trend aligns with recent statements from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which indicated a likely slowdown in hiring across the IT sector.

TCS is transitioning towards a workforce that balances human employees with AI agents, having already reduced its workforce by over 12,000 jobs in July last year and seeing a net decline of more than 23,000 employees during the financial year ending March 2026.

Additionally, the JobSpeak report highlighted that AI and machine learning hiring across 14 industries grew by 25% year-on-year, with the insurance and consumer goods sectors experiencing the most substantial increases in hiring during this period.