AI/ML and Analytics Lead Job Demand in India's Tech Sector: Nasscom-Indeed 2024 Report

AI and Machine Learning Dominate Job Market Demand

The fourth edition of the Future of Work 2024 report, jointly released by Indeed and IT industry body Nasscom, reveals that expertise in Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) and data analytics continues to lead the demand for tech job roles in India 1

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. The report highlights a 1.6x increase in demand for AI-led job families, underscoring the growing importance of these skills in the evolving job market 1

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Top In-Demand Tech Roles

According to the report, the top five most sought-after tech roles in India are:

1. Data Scientist/Analyst
2. AI/ML Expert
3. Cybersecurity Specialist
4. Cloud Architect/Engineer
5. DevOps Engineer

Notably, cybersecurity has surpassed cloud computing to become the second-most sought-after domain, reflecting the increasing importance of digital security in the tech industry 2

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Workplace Trends: Hybrid Models and Return to Office

While hybrid work models remain prevalent, the report indicates a growing trend towards returning to the office. The average time spent in the office has increased by 1.2 times, driven by factors such as:

• Need for stronger cultural connections
• Enhanced cross-team collaboration
• Improved employee engagement
• Increased leadership interactions
• Role-specific or customer-driven requirements
• More immersive learning experiences 1

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Gig Economy and Workforce Preferences

The report reveals a significant increase in the willingness to embrace gig work among both current and future employees. Approximately 35% of respondents expressed openness to gig opportunities, up from 23% for the current workforce and 28% for the future workforce in the previous year 2

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Generative AI Adoption and Skills

The adoption of generative AI (GenAI) tools has seen a dramatic increase over the past year, evolving from proof-of-concept experiments to widespread commercial applications. Around 55% of the current and future workforce are frequent users of GenAI, with ChatGPT and CoPilot being the most commonly used tools 1

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AI in Recruitment and HR Processes

Companies are increasingly leveraging AI across various aspects of the recruitment and hiring process, including:

• Automating CV screening to identify relevant candidates
• Generating gender-neutral job descriptions
• Enhancing knowledge-sharing and learning initiatives
• Streamlining candidate evaluation 1

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Workforce Readiness and Skilling

Notably, 70% of respondents from the current workforce expressed confidence in their readiness for evolving job roles. This optimism is largely fueled by regular skilling and upskilling initiatives, driven by both mandated organizational programs and proactive self-learning efforts 3

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Industry Perspectives

Sangeeta Gupta, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Nasscom, emphasized the transformative impact of AI and ML on the job market, reshaping required skills across technical expertise and soft skills 1

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Sashi Kumar, Head of Sales at Indeed India, highlighted the need for organizations to bridge the gap between current readiness and future demands, suggesting that combining human creativity with AI-driven innovation will be key for businesses to lead in this new era of work 2

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