Leverage the huge demand for AI talent: Companies are looking for these hot skills

Although there is huge demand for these roles, Sekhar Garisa, CEO, foundit, said talent is scarce.

The immersion of artificial intelligence (AI) in almost all sectors has led to robust growth in hiring in this area, causing the demand for AI and related talent to grow 11 percent over the last six months, per data by foundit, a talent search firm, that’s been shared exclusively with Moneycontrol.

Besides IT, retail, telecom, and BFSI, the advertising, market research (MR) and public relations (PR) sectors are the biggest contributors to this growth in demand.

Moneycontrol looks at the top 10 skills in demand, along with roles which offer a handsome package to freshers, mid-level, and experienced candidates eyeing a career in AI and related fields.

Top 10 skills in demand

Although there is huge demand for these roles, Sekhar Garisa, CEO, foundit, said talent is scarce. “The growing demand for these roles across industries has made hiring a challenge due to the lack of skilled professionals,” he said.

Garisa said that organisations are finding it difficult to hire candidates who are a good fit for the job.

Machine learning operations (MLOps), natural language processing (NLP), Java, Python, and DevOps are the top five skills that recruiters are looking for in candidates for AI and AI-related jobs.

Pay packages

In a March 2023 report, tech staffing firm TeamLease Digital had said that India has a big talent pool of data scientists and engineers with skills in AI technologies. These professionals can be hired at a relatively lower cost in India compared to other countries.

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With the rapid advancement in tech, the report highlighted that the AI sector has a massive requirement for skilled professionals. “Data indicates 80 percent of Indian engineers do not possess the skills required to meet the demands of employers,” it said.

The TeamLease Digital report said that salaries for freshers in data engineering roles in India goes up to Rs 14 lakh per annum, and ML engineers at the same level earn up to Rs 10 lakh. Fresher data scientists and BI (business intelligence) analysts earn up to Rs 14 lakh, the report added. Entry-level database administrators, DevOps (development operations) engineers, and data architects earn up to Rs 12 lakh, as per the report.

The report also highlighted that candidates with about eight years of experience in AI-related fields can earn salaries ranging from Rs 25-45 lakhs per annum.

"In today's rapidly evolving job market, upskilling with AI skills is becoming increasingly important for career growth and employability. With automation and AI transforming industries across the board, having a basic understanding of AI and its applications can give individuals a competitive edge in the job market,” said Siva Prasad Nanduri, Chief Business Officer, TeamLease Digital.

How to acquire these skills?

Various upskilling platforms offer both online and offline courses with a special focus on AI and related skills. However, experts say that people with a computer science (CS) degree have a competitive edge.

Nevertheless, edtech firms like Emeritus, UpGrad, and Coursera, among others, offer courses that start from the basics. There are also free courses available on LinkedIn Learning.

Secondly, developing some essential technical skills is a must. MLOps, NLP, and programming languages are areas where edtech platforms may be of help.

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Thirdly, having work experience can really make a difference for candidates. Some platforms help candidates earn credits with real-time projects, which are accepted by various companies. They also help in recruitment or finding suitable opportunities for candidates.

Working on a freelance project for starters before being associated with a company as a full-time employee offers a great advantage as it gives one a chance to understand one’s capabilities and market trends.