India faces 53-60% talent gap in GenAI, cloud skills: TeamLease

A recent report by TeamLease Digital reveals a substantial talent gap in emerging skills such as Generative AI (GenAI) and cloud computing in India's technology sector. The study found that only around 16% of IT professionals possess AI skills, leaving significant demand-supply gaps in these areas. Among the four skill families, cloud skills have the largest supply gap, standing at 55-60%, while GenAI skills are lagging by approximately 53%.

Despite the narrowing gap in cybersecurity, it remains a significant concern, with a 25-30% supply gap. The report categorizes AI roles into three tiers: AI-Core, AI-Adjacent, and AI-Support. AI-Core roles involve building and developing intelligent systems, such as GenAI and machine learning engineers, while AI-Adjacent roles apply AI within established workflows, including data, cloud, and cybersecurity engineers.

AI-Support roles focus on maintaining AI-enabled operations through monitoring, validation, and first-line resolution. The report highlights that the demand for AI-skilled roles is outpacing supply, with GenAI Developer positions expected to grow to over 10 lakh roles by 2026. Salary premiums for AI-Core and product-critical engineering roles are increasing, with GenAI Developers earning up to Rs 34.5 LPA after 6-8 years of experience, compared to Rs 14.6 LPA for Technical Support Engineers in AI-Support roles.

The gap in AI-skilled professionals is compressing the entry layer in tech firms, with only about 3 lakh professionals holding advanced AI skills out of a workforce of 20 lakh upskilled individuals. TeamLease Digital CEO Neeti Sharma emphasized that AI is changing the definition of capability, as using AI tools has become the baseline, and the market now rewards the ability to build, run, and govern AI in production.