India recorded strong growth in AI-linked employment in 2025 as companies across sectors expanded hiring, according to the Foundit Insights Tracker. Artificial Intelligence jobs India rose to 2.9 lakh roles last year, with projections pointing to faster growth in 2026 as enterprises scale AI adoption.
What changed in India AI jobs
India AI jobs became a core hiring driver during 2025 as organisations moved beyond pilot AI projects. Foundit data showed overall hiring rose 15% year-on-year in December, signalling a shift toward sustained expansion.
AI roles formed a growing share of new postings. Employers increasingly prioritised applied AI skills tied to production systems rather than experimental work. This change reshaped workforce planning across large enterprises and mid-sized firms.
Foundit said hiring discipline remained in place. Companies focused on targeted skills and experience bands while controlling headcount growth.
Artificial Intelligence jobs India across sectors
Artificial Intelligence jobs India saw uneven distribution across industries. IT–Software and Services accounted for 37% of AI roles, reflecting continued enterprise-led transformation. BFSI followed with a 15.8% share and recorded the fastest growth at 41% year-on-year.
Healthcare and pharmaceuticals expanded AI hiring by 38%. Retail and logistics followed with 31% and 30% growth respectively. Manufacturing contributed 6% of AI roles as automation use cases widened.
Generative AI and LLM-related demand rose nearly 60%. Python appeared in three out of four AI job postings. Machine learning roles made up 34% of AI jobs, while Generative AI and data science followed.
Impact on companies and talent
Large enterprises and multinationals accounted for 49% of India AI jobs. These firms expanded Centres of Excellence and MLOps teams. Mid-sized companies contributed 28%, while startups made up 23% of AI hiring.
Bengaluru led AI hiring with a 26% share. Delhi NCR and Hyderabad followed. Among Tier 2 cities, Jaipur, Indore, and Mysuru recorded the fastest growth.
Demand concentrated in the 4–10 years experience range. Entry-level hiring stayed stable, while senior leadership roles remained selective.
Outlook for AI hiring in 2026
Foundit expects India AI jobs to maintain strong momentum through 2026 as enterprises shift from experimentation to large-scale deployment. The projected 32% rise reflects growing demand for professionals who can build, deploy, and manage AI systems in real-world environments.
Hiring will increasingly prioritise deployment-ready talent, especially in machine learning engineering, Generative AI, data engineering, and MLOps. At the same time, employers will look for candidates who combine technical skills with domain knowledge in sectors such as BFSI, healthcare, manufacturing, and retail.
