Over 2 million AI jobs in India with a 1 million talent gap: Bain & Company

Here is good news for those fearing massive job losses due to the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) in the country. India’s AI sector is expected to offer over 2.3 million job openings by 2027, while the AI talent pool in the country will be only 1.2 million, creating a major opportunity to reskill over 1 million workers to meet demand, according to global research by Bain & Company.

 

In 2025, India’s total AI talent pool will grow from 800,000 in 2024 to 940,000. However, the baseline demand for AI talent, which will be 1.5 million, could peak at 2 million — double the available workforce.

 

Even in 2026, India will have an AI talent pool of 1.08 million, but peak demand is projected to be twice that, reaching 2.16 million. 

 

“India has a unique opportunity to position itself as a global AI talent hub. However, AI job openings are expected to be 1.5x to 2x the available talent. The challenge and opportunity lie in reskilling and upskilling a significant portion of the existing workforce in emerging technology tools and skillsets,” says Saikat Banerji, partner and lead at Bain & Company’s AI Insights and Solutions Practice in India. He points out that the AI talent shortage is a considerable challenge but not insurmountable. Companies need to move beyond traditional hiring approaches, prioritise continuous upskilling, and foster an innovation-driven ecosystem, he argues.

 

Indian AI professionals could also benefit from the severe talent shortages in many countries, including the US.

 

According to the research, one in two AI jobs in the US could remain unfilled. While AI job demand there could exceed 1.3 million, the available workforce is expected to be no more than 645,000. The US, of course, can also reskill workers or attract talent from abroad.

 

Other countries face similar shortfalls. The UK could see a shortage of over 50 per cent in its AI talent pool, while in Germany, 70 per cent of AI jobs could remain unfilled. In Australia, the shortfall could be around 60,000 professionals by 2027.

 

Bain’s study also reveals that 44 per cent of executives surveyed cite a lack of in-house AI expertise as a key barrier to implementing generative AI.