The whispers have grown into ro-Is artificial intelligence coming for work? This question both worried about freshmen and veterans.
From widespread evacuation warnings to optimistic forecasts of new opportunities, the narrative of AI's impact on the workforce has led to the outlook for employment by storms.
On World AI Day on July 16, Indian employment portal naukri.com released a survey that opened up speculation to say that Indian job seekers are more friends than enemies. The survey is based on responses from over 60,000 job seekers, polls with recruiters, and an analysis of thousands of job offers.
India presents a contrasting reality, despite global unrest in which 75% of US experts fear job cuts by AI, and two out of three are worried about the exchange worldwide. Approximately 86% of Indian job seekers consider AI as an ally.
Crushing AI Myths: The Reality of India
AI jobs allow AI skills to increase your salary by more than 53% in all roles, so no more payments are paid. According to the report, it offers double-digit salary increases at all experience levels.
It may also be a myth that there are not enough actual AI jobs as there are reportedly more than 35,000 AI and machine learning jobs available on naukri.com across India from April to June 2025.
It could also be a myth that AI roles are metro only, as tier-2 cities such as Indore, Coimbatore, Kochi, and Ahmedabad attracted over 1,500 AI jobs over the same period.
Finally, the myth that unemployment is AI's biggest trouble is balanced with the findings of reports that only one in three people fear unemployment because of AI. The concern over 35% is fear of lack of creativity.
Also Read: Does AI actually increase productivity? The evidence is vague
Great sort: Rising and at-risk roles
AI doesn't rule out wholesale. Sorting the landscape. Naukri data reveals a 38% year-on-year growth in AI/ML employment from April 2024 to April to June 2025.
Some traditional roles have diminished. For example, a front-end developer role might show 14% downticks, while system administrators might see 11% lower needs. However, the new AI-centric role is booming, with a nearly 100% surge in positions such as machine learning engineers, search engineers, and data scientists.
Where AI jobs come from, what recruiters want
The IT sector leads in AI/ML job share, but AI adoption has permeated a variety of industries, including accounting, knowledge process outsourcing, and banking. The business process outsourcing sector witnessed an impressive 39% year-over-year growth in AI employment between April-June 2025 despite fears of unemployment.
Recruiters are actively seeking professionals, combining analytical and critical thinking, problem-solving skills, creativity, adaptability and an ongoing motivation to learn.
The Benefits of AI: Experiences pay off
The advantages of AI are not uniform. Experienced professionals with AI skills are especially in demand. The overall AI-based role increased by 38%, but the growth of AI/mL roles for those with 13-16 years of experience was 46%, and 44% for those over 16 years.
This contrasts with the role of AA-based technologies, with overall growth only 8%. This data demonstrates the value of combining deep industry experience with cutting-edge AI proficiency.
Also Read: Nvidia CEO Huang says it's unlikely that Chinese military will use US AI chips
